in Brick Factories
Causes and Consequences
Contact:
A Research Study for Campaign of Combating the Worst
Forms of Child Labour in Cambodia August 2007
LICADHO:
N° 16 Street 99 12305 Phnom Penh Cambodia
Tel & Fax: 023 360 965 Tel: 023 982 669, 023 364 901 P.O. Box: 499
E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.licadho.org
WORLD VISION
N° 20 Street 71 SK Tonle Basac Khan Chamcarmorn 12301
Phnom Penh Cambodia Tel: 023 216 052 ext. 224
Fax: 023 216 220 P.O. Box: 479 E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.worldvision.org.kh
By Poch Bunnak, PhD, Director,
Centre for Population Studies at Royal University of Phnom Penh
Child Workers in Brick Factories:
Causes and Consequences
A Research Study for
Campaign of Combating the Worst Forms of Child Labour
in Cambodia
LICADHO and World Vision Cambodia
August 2007
By
Dr. Poch Bunnak, Director,
Centre for Population Studies at Royal University of Phnom Penh
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................i
List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... iii
List of Figures ......................................................................................................................iv
Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................v
Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................x
Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................xi
Chapter
I. Introduction....................................................................................................................1
Objectives......................................................................................................................1
II. Literature Review .........................................................................................................2
1. Child Labour and Its Worst Forms ...........................................................................2
2. Reasons for Engaging in Child Labour in Brick Factories .......................................4
3. Impact of Child Labour in Brick Factories on Child Development..........................5
III. Methodology ...............................................................................................................7
1. Sampling and Samples ..............................................................................................7
1.1. Sample of Child Workers...................................................................................7
1.2. Sample of Parents...............................................................................................7
1.3. Sample of Brick Factory Owners or Managers..................................................8
2. Research Tools..........................................................................................................8
3. Data Collection .........................................................................................................8
4. Ethical Issues.............................................................................................................8
IV. Profiles of Respondents ..............................................................................................9
1. Background of Child Respondents ...........................................................................9
2. Background of Parent Interviewees ........................................................................10
V. Findings......................................................................................................................11
1. Number of Child Workers in Brick Factories.........................................................11
2. Schooling Profile of Child Workers........................................................................12
2.1. Schooling Status...............................................................................................12
2.2. Why Quitting School?......................................................................................13
3. Work Profile of the Child Interviewees ..................................................................14
3.1. Previous Work Experience...............................................................................14
3.2. Age at Start of Work for Money ......................................................................15
3.3. Tasks Performed by Child Workers.................................................................16
3.4. Working Days and Working Hours..................................................................18
3.5. Earnings ...........................................................................................................19
4. Perception about Child Labour in Brick Factories..................................................19
4.1. Child Workers’ Perception...............................................................................19
4.2. Parental Perception...........................................................................................20
5. Children’s Involvement in the Worst Forms of Child Labour................................21
i
6. Reasons for Working in Brick Factories.................................................................22
6.1. Children’s Reasons for Engaging in Child Labour ..........................................23
6.2. Children’s Reasons for Working in Brick Factories ........................................24
6.3. Parents’ Reasons for Engaging Children in Child Labour...............................25
6.4. Brick Factory Owners/Managers’ Reasons for Hiring Children......................26
7. Work Conditions in Brick Factories .......................................................................28
7.1. Assessment of Child Workers about Their Work Place...................................29
7.2. Brick Factories as a Safe Place for Children: Parents’ View...........................30
8. Work Safety and Regulations .................................................................................31
8.1. Prohibited Tasks for Child Workers ................................................................31
8.2. Access to Work Safety Information.................................................................32
9. Impact of Child Labour...........................................................................................33
9.1. Impact of Child Labour on Education..............................................................33
9.2. Impact of Child Labour on Health ...................................................................34
9.2.1. Self-Assessed Health Problems.................................................................34
9.2.2. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Sicknesses Due to Work ...............35
9.2.3. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Accidents and Injuries...................36
10. Best Practices to Reduce Work Hazards...............................................................38
11. Awareness of Child Labour Proclamation ............................................................39
12. Expectations of the Future of Child Workers .......................................................39
13. Suggestions for Improving Working Conditions for Children in Brick Factories40
VI. Conclusion and Recommendations...........................................................................42
1. Conclusion ..............................................................................................................42
2. Recommendations...................................................................................................43
References ...........................................................................................................................45
Appendix 1. Questionnaire for Interview with Working Children .....................................46
Appendix 2. Questionnaire for Interview with Parents/Caregivers of Working Children..54
Appendix 3. Questionnaire for Interview with Brick Factory Manger/Owner...................64
Appendix 4 ..........................................................................................................................69
Research Team................................................................................................................69
Field Note on Data Collection ........................................................................................69
ii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Profile of Child Interviewees ..................................................................................9
Table 2. Profile of Parent Interviewees...............................................................................10
Table 3. Schooling Status by Residence .............................................................................12
Table 4. Reasons for Quitting School (Multiple-Response Question)................................13
Table 5. Brick Factory Owners/Managers’ Satisfaction about Child Workers ..................28
Table 6. Access to Work Safety Information......................................................................32
Table 7. Impact of Work on Schooling...............................................................................34
iii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Previous Work Experience of Child Workers .....................................................14
Figure 2. Age at Start of Work for Money..........................................................................15
Figure 3. Tasks Undertaken by Child Workers...................................................................17
Figure 4. Percent of Working 6-9 Hours per Day...............................................................18
Figure 5. Percents of Children Reporting That Their Work Was Too Heavy For Them ...20
Figure 6. Percents of Children Reporting That Their Work Was Too Long for Them ......20
Figure 7. Involvement of Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour ...........................22
Figure 8. Reasons for Working: Child Workers’ Responses ..............................................23
Figure 9. Why Do Children Work in Brick Factories? .......................................................24
Figure 10. Reasons for Letting Children Work: Parents’ Responses .................................25
Figure 11. Working Conditions in Brick Factories.............................................................30
Figure 12. Self-Reported Tasks Prohibited to Undertake ...................................................31
Figure 13. Self-Assessed Health Index of Child Workers ..................................................35
Figure 14. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Sicknesses..............................................36
Figure 15. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Injuries...................................................37
Figure 16. Percent of Wearing Any Protecting Device While Working.............................39
Figure 17. Future Expectation of Child Workers................................................................40
Figure 18. Improving Working Conditions for Children in Brick Factories ......................41
iv
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Child labour has become one of the social issues in Cambodia after the rectification of the
ILO Convention 182 by the government in October 2005. One concern is that work
undertaken by children in brick-making factories is by nature heavy and dangerous,
coupled with long working hours, school interference, and low payment. Thus, its farreaching effect on child development, especially on schooling and health, is devastating.
Yet, some parents still sent their children to work in brick factories and hiring children to
work in brick factories is suspected to continue by many employers.
As part of the campaign against the worst forms of child labour for the wellbeing of
Cambodian children, LICADHO and WVC have commissioned the research team, led by
Dr. Poch Bunnak, to conduct a study on children working in brick factories. The study was
conducted in July 2007 to identify the causes and consequences of child labour in brick
factories in Battambang and Sang Ke districts, the surrounding areas of Battambang
provincial city. Data were collected using interviewer-completed questionnaires from
three main sources (132 child workers, 43 parents, and 15 brick factory owners or
managers) from 26 brick factories. It is estimated that between 400 and 500 children work
daily in these brick factories during the high labour-demand season.
One hundred and thirty two child workers participated in this study. Among those who do
not live in brick factories (96 children), 71.9% were female, 10.4% were under 15 years of
age, 62.5% were living in intact families, and 17.7% were the first child in their families.
Among those who lived in the brick factory compound (36 children), 44.4% were female,
41.7% were under 15 years of age, 69.4% were living in intact families, and 36.1% were
the first child of the family.
The majority of 43 interviewed parents were female from intact families, with the mean
age being 40 years. They had large families (the average of 4 children), with many of their
children working in brick factories (nearly 70% of their 7-17 years old children) and not
attending school (about 50%). Parents had quite experience of working in brick factories
(about 50% having at least five years experience) and made slightly above 200,000 Riels
monthly, on average. Nearly all parents living in brick factories were migrants.
Schooling Profile of Child Workers
Many child workers in brick-making factories were not in school (74.0% among village
children and 55.6% among brick factory children). About three fourths of them quitted
school more than two years with several reasons, including family reasons (the family
economic hardship, their needed labour by parents, sick parents, and family debt), schoolrelated problems (lack of money for school supplies, lack of transport as school for their
grade is far, and school discipline problems), and personal reasons (poor grade, negative
attitudes towards schooling, wanting to be with friends who work, wanting money for
personal needs, or wanting to stay away from parents who frequently quarrelled).
Work Profile of the Child Interviewees
Some children who worked in current brick factories usually had worked elsewhere
before, either in another brick factory (22%) or in another economic sector (20.5%). The
v
percentage of having previous work experience was lower among those living in the brick
factory compound than among those who do not (13.9% versus 25.0%, respectively),
suggesting that children who lived in brick factories were likely to start out with a job in
their current brick factory (Figure 1).
Child workers who lived in brick factories tend to start to work at a younger age than those
who lived in the villages (respectively, 57% versus 21.8% starting work at age below 12
years old) (Figure 2). This suggests a prolonged exposure to work and great vulnerability
to hazardous labour among those living in brick factories. Their early involvement in child
labour is caused by parents’ need for their labour, in addition to the family economic
hardship.
Child workers in brick factories usually performed multiple tasks. Common tasks are
pulling brick wheelbarrows, loading bricks in and out of the kiln, loadings brick onto and
out of brick wheelbarrows, loading bricks onto trucks, and arranging bricks to dry. Some
children also worked as brick machine operators or firing kiln workers (Figure 3).
Child workers are involved in three employment statuses: work on a contract, full-time
and daily, or part-time or on weekend only (figure 4). Child workers working on contract
usually work longer hours than children of the other statuses. However, most children
work full-time in brick factories (93 children).
The average wage is 5,000 Riels for 8-hour of work (equivalent to 1.2 U.S. dollar).
Children who are engaged in contractual work, such as firing kilns, clay preparation, or
cutting raw bricks usually earn a bit higher wage. Even so, some small children (8-10
years old) earn as little as 1,000 Riels a day because they worked part-time and not every
day.
Perception about Child Labour in Brick Factories
Heavy work is found for work under contract (Figure 5), while long working hours are
complained by most children working under contract (81.3%) or working full-time
(83.9%). The study found that contractual work is not good for children because it
involves heavy work, long working hours, and school interference.
In contrast, 30.2% of 41 parents said their children’s work was not too heavy for them and
44.2% of 41 parents said that the working hours were just about right for their children.
The finding helps explain parents’ rationale for engaging children in child labour.
Children’s Involvement in the Worst Forms of Child Labour
The combination of working hours and school attendance status of child workers was used
to create an index of the worst forms of child labour in brick factories (Figure 7). The
finding shows that about 85% of child workers are involved in either severe forms (52.3%)
or the worst forms of child labour (32.1%).
Reasons for Working in Brick Factories
According to children’s responses (Figure 8), top reasons for working are the family
economic hardship, personal needs (such as clothes, shoes, snacks, etc.), being forced to
vi
work by their parents or guardians due to family debt (22.2%). The distance to the
workplace is the leading reason for children to work in brick factories (Figure 9). Among
child workers who live in brick factory compounds, their primary reason is that they
worked because their families worked and lived there. Other reasons include getting a job
very easily in brick factories (19.0%), being acquaintance to someone in the brick factory
(17.9%), no skills or experience required (9.5%), easy money (7.1%), and nice managers
(8.3%).
Children’s responses are quite consistent with those of their parents. One is the family
economic hardship (about 90% of parents). Another is that the family needs child labour.
In other words, children are pulled into child labour by their parents because either their
families live there, parents need their help to perform their work, parents need
replacements when they are sick or old, or jobs in brick factories have become the family
tradition (54.8%). This finding confirms the above argument that children living in the
brick factory compound will be pulled into brick factory jobs in the long run by their
parents, regardless of the economic circumstances of the families (Figure 10).
According to the owners or managers, children came to work in brick factories because of
three reasons: easy jobs with no requirements or restrictions, close proximity, and many
children quitting school and looking for jobs to earn money.
Three important reasons of hiring children are also reported by the managers or owners of
the visited brick factories: family economic hardship, the pity of owners/managers on
children, and the parents’ demands for their children to work (parents requested that their
children be allowed to work too; otherwise, parents would not take the job). However,
only 6 of 15 owners/managers reported that they were satisfied with having children
coming to work in their factories (Table 5). The owners/managers claimed that children
are easy to be managed, come to work on time, can work independently on contract, work
fast and work hard, and are good for carrying bricks.
Work Conditions in Brick Factories
The fieldwork observation shows that the working environment in the brick factory is
hazardous to child health due to unsanitary environment (unclean, smoke, bad smells of
manures, and consuming pond water), unsafe working environment (such as heat, burning
ashes, flying ashes, and pieces of broken bricks everywhere), and the hazardous work
(prolonged working hours, heavy work, and dangerous jobs).
Seven work condition indexes were created (See inside text). All brick factories were
perceived by more than 50% of the child workers as having bad working conditions on
three indexes: unbearable heat (100%), flying ashes (100%), and falling bricks on workers
(100%). In addition, many brick factories were viewed as having bad working conditions
on the other four indexes: lack of sanitation (94%), no first-aid kits (94%), unsafe place for
children to live (75%), and health hazardous workplace (75%).
Some parents, however, viewed brick factories as a safe place for children to live and to
work (one third of all parents). Even so, many parents did agree that brick factories were
not safe for children either to live or to work because of flying ashes, stepping on burning
ashes, possibility of bricks falling on, getting cut or injured by brick pieces, getting injured
by brick making machine, sanitary problems, or a truck might run over.
vii
Work Safety and Regulations
According to child workers, many brick factories do not have any work regulations or
safety measures. For example, 54% of children said that they had not been prohibited from
undertaking any task since they worked. The rest reported that some task restrictions had
been imposed on them. The tasks include operating a brick machine; cutting raw bricks;
extracting, grinding, and mixing clays; carrying clays; firing kilns; and cleaning burning
ashes (Figure 12).
The majority of the interviewed parents and brick factory owners/managers also reported
there was a ban for children to work as machine operators (28 of 43 parents and 10 of 15
managers). Three managers said that their brick factories had no such restriction.
With regard to work safety orientations, nearly all brick factories had provided such
orientations to their child workers before their started to work. However, less than 50% of
child workers reported receiving such information (Table 6). There remain many brick
factory owners or managers (9 of 15) who did not know about the existence of statements
or proclamations about child labour in Cambodia.
Impact of Child Labour
Compared to those with shorter work duration, child workers who worked longer than two
years exhibit a much higher rate of school dropouts (37.8% versus 7.7%, respectively),
poor grades (52.6% versus 21.4%), school tardiness (47.4% versus 28.6%), and skipping
classes (42.1% versus 7.1%). The interviewed parents also confirmed that, since starting to
work, their children had developed negative attitudes towards their schooling, irregular
school attendance, and poor school grades than before.
About four fifths of child workers who lived in brick factory compounds assessed their
own health conditions as either moderate or severe based on the general health index (See
text for explanation) for both work duration groups. For child workers who did not live in
brick factories, however, the percentage of reporting moderate or severe health problems
is much higher among long-term workers than among short-term workers (91.5% versus
74.5%, respectively) (Figure 13).
In terms of specific health problems frequently experienced, both child workers living in
or not living in brick factories tend to suffer mostly from eye watery or eye itches because
of smoke and flying ashes (Figure 14). Other health problems depend on the living place.
The village children were more likely than their factory counterparts to experience
backache (40.0% versus 18.2%), chest pain (31.9% versus 15.2%), headache (33.0%
versus 21.1%), skin rashes (37.2% versus 24.2%), difficult breathing (25.5% versus
18.2%), and stomach ache (16.0% versus 9.1%). One potential explanation is that village
children have not been accustomed to the work environment in brick factories as their
factory counterparts who live and work in the same environment.
In addition, nearly one half of the child workers had minor injuries due to work, regardless
of residence and work duration (Figure 15). Common reasons are bricks falling on, being
cut with bricks while loading/unloading or carrying them, and cutting foot by sharp
objects. Minor burn is also common due to unloading bricks while they were hot. Serious
viii
cuts and serious burns do happen frequently to about 10-15% of child workers. The low
percentage of reporting injuries is underestimated due to the use of frequent experiences.
The study also reveals that wearing glasses and working hat is not a practice for all child
workers, and only few children reported wearing working shoes (12.1% among factory
children and 27.7% among village children). One leading reason for not wearing any of
these devices is that they did not have them, could not afford to buy them, or not in the
habit of wearing safety devices (Figure 16).
Expectations for the Future of Child Workers
The majority of child workers do not want to continue their schooling, contrary to the
expectation of parents, especially parents who lived in brick factories. This may be due to
the fact many child workers interviewed had already quitted school. Instead, most children
wanted to find a job elsewhere (Figure 17).
Suggestions for Improving Working Conditions for Children in Brick Factories
Suggestions for improving working conditions of child labour in brick factories were
given by a relatively small number of respondents, indicating lack of knowledge about
better working conditions (Figure 18). However, some respondents came up with a few
good suggestions, including reducing work loads for children, increasing wages for
children, providing protection equipments to children, imposing rules that ban children
from undertaking dangerous tasks, establishing rules that ban the employ from forcing
children to work beyond their physical capability, providing sick-leave benefits when
workers are sick due to work, and providing support for children’s schooling.
Recommendations
Recommendations are provided in the concluding chapter of the report.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research could not have been completed successfully without significant support and
participation of the following organizations and people:
-
H.E. Sieng Suthang, Deputy Governor of Battambang Province and his cabinet for
permitting the research team to carry out the research in the targeted areas;
-
World Vision Cambodia for providing financial support;
-
CWCLP for sending three staff members to help with the data collection, guide the
research team to the brick factories, and facilitate the communication with the
brick factory owners or managers;
-
LICADHO, Battambang Branch, for providing the office for training and for
sending two of its staff members to help with the data collection;
-
Mr Lor Monirith, CWCLP project manager, WVC, for the support of the study;
-
Mr. Yung Sokhan, Campaign Coordinator, LICADHO, for his untiring effort in
communicating with the local authority for permission;
-
All brick factory owners/mangers, children working in brick factories, and parents
who gracefully participated in the study for their participation and sharing of
experience and information needed for the study;
-
The research team who worked hard to locate the brick factories, to identify the
respondents for the interview, and to complete all interviews successfully and in a
timely manner;
-
Mr. Ray Sano, Children in Crisis Program Manager, WVC, and all reviewers for
reviewing and comments on the earlier draft of the report.
x
ABBREVIATIONS
BF
Brick Factory
CCLS
Cambodia Child Labour Survey
CPS
Center for Population
CWCLP
Combating the Worst Forms of Child Labour Project
ILO
International Labour Organization
IPEC
International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour
LICADHO
Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights
NIOSH
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NIS
National Institute of Statistics
RUPP
Royal University of Phnom Penh
UCW
Understanding Children’s Work Project
WVC
World Vision Cambodia
xi
I. INTRODUCTION
Child labour has become one of the social issues in Cambodia after the ratification of the
ILO Convention 182 by the government in October 2005. One concern about child labour
is the work undertaken by children in brick-making factories. The nature of this concern
lies in the heavy and dangerous work undertaken by children, long working hours with
low payment, and the far-reaching effect of such labour of child health and schooling. For
example, there have been several reports of accidents such as children loosing their hands
or arms because of the brick making machines. Yet, some parents still sent their children
to work in brick factories and hiring children to work in brick factories was suspected to
continue by many employers.
As jointly part of the commissioned campaign against the worst forms of child labour in
Cambodia, LICADHO and WVC has initiated a research study to get a better
understanding of the reasons behind children working in brick factories, the working
situations of child workers in brick factories, and the impact of child development.
Specifically, the study aims at collecting data to describe family and work situations of
child workers in brick factories, including reasons for work, reasons for allowing children
to work, reasons for hiring children, and the impact of child work on their social, mental,
and physical development. The result of the study is expected to contribute to better
understanding of child labour in the brick factory and to the campaign to combat the worst
forms of child labour in Cambodia.
Objectives
The objectives of the research include:
1. To describe the working and living conditions of children working in brick
factories
2. To identify factors that affect the development of children, including education,
health, and safety of children in brick factories
3. To analyze reasons why employers hire children
4. To analyze reasons why parents allow their children to work in brick factories
5. To analyze reasons why children accept to work in brick factories
6. To provide recommendations about eliminating the worst forms of child labour in
the brick factories
1
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Child Labour and Its Worst Forms
Child labour refers to all forms of work undertaken by children below 18 years of age.
Child labour is an economic and social issue in developing countries because children are
perceived to represent an important source of family total income. Available studies
suggest that light work can have positive outcomes for child development because it
provides work experience, builds confidence in children, and provides some financial
support/means.
However, child work is considered acceptable only when it is not hazardous to children’s
health and psychological development (ILO, 1999) 1. Certain forms of child labour can
cause impairment to the physical and mental development of children. Frequently, many
children who work usually do not go to school. ILO Convention 182 states that child
labour that interferes with children’s schooling is considered as the worst forms of child
labour (ILO, 1999). ILO Convention 182 calls for the prohibition and elimination of the
worst forms of child labour, child labour that violates rights to development of children.
According to ILO Convention 182, the worst forms of child labour comprise (a) all forms
of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt
bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory
recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; (b) the use, procuring or offering of a
child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic
performances; (c) the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular
for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties;
(d) work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to
harm the health, safety or morals of children (ILO, 1999).
Reliable data show that a substantial number of child labourers in Cambodia work long
hours and do not attend schools. For instance, among child labourers age 5-17 years old,
about 14% do not attend school and more than two-thirds of all child workers worked at
least 5-8 hours daily (Tables 5.6 and 8.12 in National Institute of Statistics, 2002) 2.
Children who work long hours or work in dangerous and unhealthy conditions are exposed
to long-lasting physical and psychological harm, resulting in more susceptibility to
disease. Work that involves children being enslaved, forcibly recruited, prostituted,
trafficked, forced into illegal activities and exposed to hazardous work are examples of the
worst forms of child labour (ILO/IPEC 3, 2002; WVC 4, 2005).
1
ILO. 1999. Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Geneva: ILO.
NIS. 2002. Cambodia Child Labour Survey 2001. National Institute of Statistics. Phnom Penh,
Cambodia: Ministry of Planning.
3
ILO/IPEC, 2002, Study on the Legal Protection of Child Domestic Workers in the Asia-Pacific,
ILO/Japan/Korea, Asian Meeting on Action to Combat Child Domestic Labour, Chiang Mai,
Thailand 2-4 October 2002.
4
WVC, 2005, How and Why We Work: Child Workers in the Informal Economy In Phnom Penh
and Battambang, WVC Report for the Combating the Worst Forms of Child Labour Project,
Phnom Penh: Peace and Justice Programme.
2
2
The Cambodian Royal Government has ratified the ILO Convention 182 in October 2005
to join the international activity aiming at preventing the most harmful forms of child
labour. The Cambodian Labour Law sets the minimum allowable age at 18 years for any
kind of work that by its nature could be hazardous to health, safety or morality. However,
the law allows children aged 12-14 years to perform light work that is not hazardous to
their health and does not interfere with their schooling (UCW, 2006) 5. According to the
Prakas 106 (Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, 2004) 6, children under 18 are
not allowed to operate machines or to work near kilns in brick factories.
For campaign against the worst forms of child labour, WVC develops a framework of the
worst forms of child labour based on whether work undertaken by children violates the
rights of children for development (LICADHO 7, 2001; WVC 8, 2006). This framework
classifies child labour subject to prohibition and elimination into semi-hazardous,
hazardous, and worst form. Semi-hazardous child labour includes work that is undertaken
by children either part-time or full-time, but it interferes with children’s schooling and can
cause only minor injuries. Hazardous child labour refers to work that requires children to
be out of school and work full-time and work that can cause serious injuries requiring
medical attention. The worst forms of child labour include full-time work that may cause
fatal or long-term health injuries, and that seriously violates the rights to protection,
survival, development and participation, such as forced labour, sexual or illegal activities,
or work that involves risk of death. In Cambodia, the worst forms of child labour include
also work in brick factories, work in commercial rubber plantations, work in salt
production, work in fish processing, portering work, domestic work, prostitution,
pornography, begging, and scrap collecting (ILO/IPEC, 2002; WVC, 2005).
Summary of Five Forms of Child Labour
Hours
Schooling
Health Risks
Child Rights
Violations
1 Child Chores
Part-time
Yes
No
No
2 Child Work
Part-time
Yes
No
No
Semi3 Hazardous
Labour
Part-/Fulltime
School
interferences
Violates rights to
development and
participation
Hazardous
Labour
Full-time
Out of school
Minor Injuries not
requiring medical
attention
Serious injuries
requiring medical
treatment
Worst Forms
5 of Child
Labour
Forced or
bonded
labour
Out of school
Category
4
Risks of death and/or
long-term injuries
Serious violation of
rights to protection,
survival,
development and
participation
Source: LICADHO Education and Advocacy Kit, working document, 2001.
5
UCW, 2006, Children’s Work in Cambodia: A Challenge for Growth and Poverty Reduction,
Inter-Agency Report to the Government of Cambodia, ILO/IPEC, UNICEF, and World Bank.
Accessed online at www.ucw-project.org/ucw/cambodia_rpt.pdf
6
Proclamation of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training about prohibiting children to work in
dangerous places, 28 April 2004.
7
LICADHO Education and Advocacy Kit, working document, 2001.
8
WVC. 2006. Assessment of Public Health Risks and Positive Health Practices for Working
Children. A Report prepared by Dr. Poch Bunnak, CPS at RUPP, for the Combating the Worst
Forms of Child Labour, July 2006, World Vision Cambodia.
3
2. Reasons for Engaging in Child Labour in Brick Factories
Children are engaged in child labour for a variety of reasons, although the majority of
child workers are engaged in the agricultural sector. One reason is poverty. Children who
engage in child labour are likely to come from families affected by poverty, with
inadequate sanitation and nutritious food (Woolf 9, 2002; WVC, 2006). Recent findings
show that engaging children in child labour is a household decision to fight against
poverty (UCW, 2006; WVC, 2006). According to data from the Cambodia Child Labour
Survey 2001 (CCLS), about three-fourths of the households had involved their children in
some sort of child labour because of family economic hardship and about 50% of the
households believed that their living standards would decline if their children stopped
working (UCW, 2006).
Poverty has a strong, direct, and bilateral link to children’s schooling. First, lack of money
to pay school costs and school-related expenses can be a factor for engaging in child
labour among children, with an attempt to earn some money for continuing their
schooling. In a study of child labour conducted for WVC by the Center for Population
Studies at RUPP, 31.6% of scavengers visiting the WVC drop-in centre, 31% of child
workers at the fish centres, and about 10% of brick workers entered the labour force for
this reason (WVC, 2006). Second, children who work are more likely to quit school in the
long run. They quit school, voluntarily or involuntarily, in order to either work to earn
money for the family or help do their family work. Recent studies on child workers in
Phnom Penh and Battambang found that 66% of child workers aged 5 to 17 years old did
not attend school, and the majority of them reported being withdrawn from school to enter
the labour force by their parents. The proportion of school dropouts is found to be higher
among child workers in brick factories than among children working other jobs (WVC,
2006). Expecting the positive contribution of child labour to the family well being, some
parents force their children to work in order for them to help with the family’s daily work,
to help the family earn money to pay debts, or to have a place to stay (WVC, 2005; WVC
2006).
In addition, family environment can also be a factor that encourages or discourages
children to work outside their home. Some families may be violent and thus unable to
provide a safe and protective environment for children. Other families may be addicted to
gambling and alcohol. In such cases, children can be forced to work either voluntarily just
to avoid the unpleasant home environment or involuntarily to earn money for the family.
This reason is well documented by NGOs that work closely with working children, such as
WVC and HomeLand (WVC, 2006).
Another reason is the cheap labour of children. Cheap child labour in the labour market
contributes to the growing number of child workers and child exploitation in various
sectors of the economy. According to the CCLS 2001, the top three reasons for
establishments to employ children under the age of 18 are children’s suitability for the
work (44% of all reasons for employing children), lack of other workers (17.6%) and
absence of trade unions (15.6%) (Table 8.2 in National Institute of Statistics, 2002). These
reasons point to a situation where employers look for low skills, cheap labour and
unprotected child workers.
9
Woolf, A., 2002, “Health Hazards for Children at Work”, Journal of Toxicology and Clinical
Toxicology, 40(4): 477-482.
4
3. Impact of Child Labour in Brick Factories on Child Development
Children start work at very young age. According to a study on child labour in
Battambang (WVC, 2006), the median age at the start of work is 14 years for child
workers in brick factories. However, many of them had worked elsewhere prior to
undertaking a paid job in the brick factory.
The age children start to work is associated with the impact of hazardous child labour on
child development. The earlier a child starts work, the longer he or she is exposed to
cumulative work hazards and the more he or she is likely to be susceptible and adversely
affected by specific work hazards. First, compared with adults, are different in their
physiological and psychological make-up and maturity. Second, they are not yet matured
enough to be aware of the potential risks involved in the workplace. Third, they become
exploited and abused much easier. Working in hidden and unregulated industries, like
brick factories, makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, including working
prolonged hours and undertaking risky jobs.
Due to their distinctive physical and mental appearance, their little experience about work,
and their little awareness of potential risks associated with jobs they perform, children are
more prone to a variety of work-related health problems, including injuries and illnesses,
than adults who perform the same work (Ashagrie, 1998) 10.
Hazardous conditions of child labour, coupled with the immaturity of children, increase
the risk of work injuries and illnesses among child workers. Two forms of health hazards
include work-related accidents and illness/disease. Common injuries are cuts, wounds and
punctures. Other serious but less frequent injuries include burns, fractures or sprains, loss
of body parts, contusions, bruises, haemorrhoids and abrasions. A study by Pinder
(2000) 11 on work injuries among child brick factory workers reveals that the levels of
musculoskeletal trouble found in the wrists or hands and the lower back of brick packers
were far greater than the levels reported by other groups of working children.
Based on a study in Battambang (WVC, 2006), child workers in brick factories were
found to suffer from the health impact of labour the most, compared with child
scavengers, children working at fish centres, and car washing children. For instance, 65%
of child interviewees reported sickness and injury at least nine times during their work
careers, compared with less than 50% of child workers working other job categories.
Furthermore, 85% of the interviewed child workers in brick factories experienced frequent
fatigue and cuts and wounds due to overwork, carrying bricks, and bricks falling onto feet
that cause minor cuts, wounds, or bruises. Other health problems, most frequently
complained by these children, are body ache, backaches, skin diseases, eye problems,
headache, diarrhoea, and respiratory problems (likely caused by undertaking heavy work
and working in unsanitary work conditions).
Additionally, some tasks in brick factories, such as arranging raw bricks to dry, unloading
bricks from hot kilns, and brick-firing operations, are undertaken in a hot environment.
10
Ashagrie, Kebebew, 1998, Statistics on Working Children and Hazardous Child Labour in Brief,
Geneva: ILO.
11
Pinder, Andrew D.J., 2000, Manual Handling in the Brick Production Industry: Results of a Study of the
Ergonomics of Brick Packing, Health & Society Laboratory: Human Factors Group, UK. Accessed on July
2006: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2000/hsl00-20.pdf.
5
Excessive exposure to a hot working environment can result in heat-induced health
problems, such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat fainting, heat rash, or transient heat
fatigue.
Furthermore, the negative impact of child labour on child health can have worrisome
consequences on the mental development of children. Negative psychological aspects
include decreased school performance, decreased participation in extracurricular and
social activities, increased use of alcohol, and a consistent pattern of inadequate sleep
(NIOSH, 1997) 12. As aforementioned, quitting school is one pervasive consequence of
early participation of children in child labour.
It is noteworthy that studies on the impact of child labour on child development are
difficult and the findings are mostly inconclusive because of the dynamic of the child
health and the absence of the comparison groups and the complexity of the relationship
among these phenomena (O’Donnell, Van Doorslaer, and Rosati, 2002) 13. Some children
are more vulnerable than others even without working. In addition, studies, such as that of
WVC (2006), are based on a relatively small sample size that may yield results with
varying reliability.
The above review shows that children are engaged in child labour for a variety of reasons,
ranging from the need to work for survival to the exploitation and abuse of children, and
the impact of early child labour can be devastating on all aspects of child development.
Thus, attempts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour have to be in line with the
elimination of the etiological roots of child involvement in child labour. In other words,
understanding the causes of child labour can help develop workable strategies for
campaign and activities against the worst forms of child labour.
12
NIOSH, 1997, Child Labour Research Needs: Recommendations from the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, US Department of Health and Human Services and CDC.
Accessed online at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/97-143a.html.
13
O’Donnell, Owen, Eddy Van Doorslaer, and Furio C. Rosati, 2002. “Child Labour and Health:
Evidence and Research Issues.” Understanding Children’s Work: An Inter-Agency Research
Cooperation Project. ILO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
6
III. METHODOLOGY
The study was based on a survey, developed to collect descriptive data on the background
characteristics of child workers who work in brick factories, reasons for engaging in brick
factory work, types of jobs children perform, exposure to hazardous work conditions, and
child workers’ knowledge and awareness about hazardous jobs, their workplace, and work
safety measures in their work place.
The research site for the study consists of Battambang and Sang Ke districts, the
surrounding areas of Battambang provincial city. These areas are known for brick making
industry, where many children living in neighbouring villages come to work. There are 32
brick factories identified in the research site 14.
1. Sampling and Samples
Data for this study were collected from three main sources: child workers, parents, and
brick factory owners or managers.
1.1. Sample of Child Workers
In this study, child workers refer to those who are under 18 years of age and work in brick
factories, with the experience of working a brick factory job being at least 3 months. A
cluster sampling technique was initially designed to use to select a number of brick
factories (primary sampling unit), from which 150 child respondents would be selected
based on a systematic random selection. Due to the actual number of children was much
lower than what previously informed and expected, the design was unpractical and
changed to a purposive technique during the data collection workshop.
The purposive technique allowed for a visit to every brick factory and each factory
became included in the primary sampling unit if at least one child worker is found working
in the factory. This technique resulted in the collection of data from 26 factories, as the
other 6 factories were neither found to have child workers during the visit nor allowing the
research team to visit the place.
The selection of child workers depended on the actual number of children found to be
working in each factory, with a criterion that no more that 8 children were select from the
same factory. A systematic selection of child respondents was used if there were more
than 8 child workers found during the visit. As a result, 134 children were interviewed in
26 factories, with the average of 5 child workers interviewed per selected brick factory;
and 132 questionnaires were considered complete and valid.
1.2. Sample of Parents
Two groups of parents/adults were targeted. The first group consisted of parents or adults
who were working in the brick factories. They were not necessary the parents of the
interviewed child workers; and the selections of these parents and adults were independent
14
There were 26 brick factories in Battambang as of 1999 (Rozemuller, 1999). Since then, some factories
were closed out, while other were new factories. According to the data from the Ministry of Industry, Mine,
and Enegry, there are 34 brick factories registered in Battambang province, most of them are in Battambang
and Sanke districts (http://www.mime.gov.kh/khmer/businessdirectory.asp).
7
of the child sample selection. The second group were the parents of child workers
interviewed. They were the parents who did not work in brick factories. They were
identified based on the information of child workers’ residence. A total of 50 parents were
planned to interview, but only 43 parents were actually interviewed for the study because
village parents were gone to work in the rice field.
1.3. Sample of Brick Factory Owners or Managers
All owners or managers of the factories visited were asked to participate in the interview.
Of all 26 factories, only 18 owners/managers agreed to participate; but only 15 of them
completed the interview because they were busy with their work.
2. Research Tools
Data were collected using three questionnaires developed for this study: one is for child
workers, another is for parents/adults, and the other is for brick factory owners/managers
(Appendixes 1-3). Each questionnaire is designed for the interviewer-completed interview.
The average time took to complete the child worker questionnaire was 40 minutes, while
the average time for the parent and owner/manager questionnaires was about 25 minutes
and 20 minutes, respectively.
3. Data Collection
Data were collected in July 2007. Two teams of data collectors were formed. Each team
was led by one CWCLP 15 project staff because they knew the location of each factory
very well. All data collectors received a one-day training on questionnaires and data
collection technique at the LICADHO office in Battambang (See Appendix 4 for the data
collection team and the field notes).
4. Ethical Issues
The survey was conducted upon receiving an authorization from the Battambang
Provincial Office. Each respondent was also asked for voluntary participation in the
survey. The informed consent was read to each selected participant; and confidentiality
and anonymity were guaranteed for all respondents 16. For example, the name of each
participant was neither asked nor recorded. The names of the brick factories visited are
kept confidential without being revealed to anyone besides the consultant who uses such
information for the purpose of data management only. Upon the completion of the report,
the data will be handed over to LICADHO for record keeping.
15
16
WVC’s Combating Worst Form of Child Labour Project.
See the first part of each questionnaire in Appendixes 1-3.
8
IV. PROFILES OF RESPONDENTS
1. Background of Child Respondents
The profile of child workers in brick-making factories is summarized separately for those
living in a brick factory compound (36 children) and for those who live in villages (96
children), but come to work in brick factories (Table 1). There were more female than
male child workers among those who did not live in brick factories (72.9% of them were
female); but there were more male than female child workers who lived in brick factory
compound (44.4% of them were female). The gender difference between the two groups
indicates that it is more common for girls than for boys to come from nearby villages to
work in brick factories. With regard to their age, 89.6% of those coming from villages
were between 15-17 years of age, compared to 58.3% among those who lived in the brick
factory compound. This indicates that there are young children living and working in the
factory (41.7% of them are under 15 years old).
Table 1. Profile of Child Interviewees
Where Do You Live?
Not Living in BF Living in BF
Child Interviewees
Number of interviewees
Percent
Sex
% Male
% Female
Age Groups
Under 12
12-14
15-17
Living Arrangement
With 2 biological parents
With biological mother only
With biological father only
With biological and step patents
With other relatives
Number of Siblings
1-3
4-5
More than 5
% of Being the First Child
Total
96
72.7%
36
27.3%
132
100.0%
27.1%
72.9%
55.6%
44.4%
34.8%
65.2%
0.0%
10.4%
89.6%
13.9%
27.8%
58.3%
3.8%
15.2%
81.0%
62.5%
17.7%
4.2%
5.2%
10.4%
69.4%
11.1%
2.8%
0.0%
16.7%
64.4%
15.9%
3.8%
3.8%
12.1%
13.7%
43.2%
43.2%
17.7%
11.1%
41.7%
47.2%
36.1%
13.0%
42.7%
44.3%
22.7%
Furthermore, a sizeable number of child workers lived in non-intact families, with only
62.5% being among those from villages and 69.4% being among those living in the brick
factory compound. These child workers were likely to come from large families (more
than 40% of them had more than 5 siblings); and about one third of those living in the
brick factory compound were the first child in their families (Table 1).
9
2. Background of Parent Interviewees
Forty-parents were interviewed, with 33 parents or adults being those living and working
in the brick factory compound. Most of the interviewees were female from intact families,
with the mean age of 41 years for those living in the BF compound and 37 years for those
living outside the BF compound.
Additionally, they had large families, with the average of 5 children for those living in BF
and 3 for those living outside BF. Many children of these interviewed parents worked in
brick factories and about half of them did not attend school. About two fifths of children
of the parents living in BF and about one third of those of parents not living in BF had at
least two full years experience of working in brick factories. As for the parent respondents,
about fifty percent of them had worked in the current brick factories for at least five years
and made slightly above 200,000 Riels monthly, on average.
Another important note based on the result in Table 2 is that the majority of those who
lived and worked in brick factories were migrants either from within the areas of
Battambang province or from another province, either from Svay Rieng, Prey Veng,
Pousat, Takeo, Kg Thom, or Kg Speu. A few families were from Kampuchea Krom or
refugee camps along the Thai border.
Table 2. Profile of Parent Interviewees
Total Number of Parents Interviewed
Gender (% Female)
Age (Mean)
Marital Status (% Intact families)
Reported Children
Total Living Children
Total Children Age 7-17
Total Children Age 7-17 Working in BF
% Children Age 7-17 Working in BF
% Children Age 7-17 Working > 2 Yrs
% Children Age 7-17 Not Attending School
Migration Status
Non-migrants
Migrants from within Battambang
Migrants from other provinces
Income (Mean, in thousand Riels)
Years of Work in BF
< 5 years
5-9 years
10 years or more
Not reported/Not working in BF
10
Parents/Adults Living
in BF
Outside BF
33
10
87.9%
80.0%
41
37
81.8%
80.0%
All
43
88.4%
40
81.4%
150
70
51
72.9%
42.9%
50.0%
29
23
13
56.5%
30.8%
43.5%
179
93
64
68.8%
40.3%
48.4%
3.0%
51.5%
45.5%
212
40.0%
20.0%
40.0%
261
11.6%
44.2%
44.2%
223
36.4%
27.3%
24.2%
12.1%
10.0%
30.0%
20.0%
40.0%
30.2%
27.9%
23.3%
18.6%
V. FINDINGS
1. Number of Child Workers in Brick Factories
It is undeniable that there are
children living and working in
brick factories. However,
estimating the number of
child workers in brick
factories is one of the most
challenging tasks for two
main reasons. First, child
labour has become a very
sensitive issue recently in
Cambodia
after
the
government ratified the ILO
Convention 182 in October
2005 that called for the
prohibition and elimination of
the worst forms of child
labour. The sensitivity of the
issue lies in the conflict of
interest between employers of
working
children
and
advocates
of
the
ILO
Convention 182. Thus, any
attempt to visit or to ask
directly about the number of
child workers is likely to face
negative reactions from those
employers who favoured child
labour. The number of
children actually seen is likely
to underestimate the reality because child workers may be warned in advance not to come.
The same is true for the reported number of child workers.
The first situation is not an exception for this study. Out of 15 factory owners/managers
interviewed, only six provided the answer to the number question 17. In addition, some of
their answers were below those given by some adult workers 18. For instance, according to
6 brick factory owners/managers, there were 12 children on average working in each
factory during the loading and unloading phases, with the minimum being 5 child workers
and the maximum being 45 child workers. According to the responses obtained from
informal chats with adults in 12 brick factories, the average number of child workers
should be 16, with the minimum being 5 and the maximum being 50 child workers.
17
18
Out of 15 owners/managers, only 6 six responded to the questions of how many children under
18 years are working during the loading and unloading phases of the production cycle.
The filed supervisor spent his time charting with adult workers to get additional information
needed for the survey. Note that the number obtained was just the best guess of the respondents.
11
Second, the number of children working in brick factories varies to a great extent by the
different phases of brick production cycle (loading, firing, cooling, and unloading
periods), where child labour is needed the most during the loading and unloading phases
of brick production. Based on the result of the interview with brick factory
owners/managers, one brick production cycle of a medium-size kiln takes about 40-45
days on average to complete (7-10 days to load 50-60 thousand of raw bricks with 10
workers, 2 weeks to fire, 5-7 days to cool off, and 10 days to unload the bricks) 19. The
result of the interview with the owners/managers also reveals that more girls than boys are
working in brick factories (66% of child workers were girls).
The average numbers of child workers obtained above can be used to estimate the number
of child workers in brick factories. Multiplying the average number of 12 child workers as
reported by some owners or managers with 32 factories would result in nearly 400 child
workers on average working in brick factories in the area around the city of Battambang 20.
Multiplying the average number of 16 child workers as reported by some adult workers
with 32 factories would result in 512 child workers on average working in brick factories
in the area. Thus, it is estimated that between 400 and 500 children work daily in brick
factories during the high labour-demand season.
2. Schooling Profile of Child Workers
2.1. Schooling Status
Many child workers in brick-making factories were not in school (Table 3). For example,
74.0% of those coming from villages to work daily in brick factories had quitted school.
Among them, 85.9% had quitted school for at least a full year, while 14.1% had recently
quitted school. Furthermore, more than three thirds of child workers living in the brick
factory compound either stopped going to school (55.6%) or never attended school
(22.2%). The majority of those who quitted school had abandoned their schooling since
two years ago (75.0%).
Table 3. Schooling Status by Residence
Where Do You Live?
Not Living in BF
Living in BF
Schooling Status
Currently in School
Currently Not in School
Never Attended School
Number of child workers
When Quitted School?
1-11 months ago
12-23 months ago
24-35 months ago
36+ months ago
Number of quitting school
Total
26.0%
74.0%
0.0%
96
22.2%
55.6%
22.2%
36
25.0%
68.9%
6.1%
132
14.1%
16.9%
19.7%
49.3%
71
0.0%
10.7%
14.3%
75.0%
28
10.1%
15.2%
18.2%
56.6%
99
19
This finding is consistent with a previous study documenting that the total length of brick process was
about 44-45 days for a small kiln and 50-60 days for a large kiln (Rozemuller, 1999).
20
The figure is subject to the reliability question due to many owners or managers refuse to answer
this question.
12
2.2. Why Quitting School?
When asked why they stopped attending school, child workers provided with a variety of
family, school, and personal reasons (Table 4). Among the family reasons, the family
economic hardship is the primary reason among child workers who do not live in brick
factory compounds (42.0%); while helping parents with their work is the top reason
among child workers living in brick factory compound (31.6%). Other family-related
reasons include sick parents who need money to buy medicine, mothers who did not let
children to go to school so that they could help them work, and the family debt. However,
these reasons were given by few child workers only. Below is the situation of a child who
quitted school:
“A 16-year old girl living with her biological mother and step-father had to quit
school because she had to work for the family survival. “My mother was
unemployed and forced me to leave school, saying that I had to work and earn
some money for the family.” Her step-father was a motor-taxi driver, but he could
not make enough money to feed 7 people in the family. She was the oldest child in
the family. Her 14-year old brother was also working in a brick factory. She was in
Grade 6 when she quitted school to work full-time in the brick factory three year
ago.”
Table 4. Reasons for Quitting School (Multiple-Response Question)
Current Residence
Not Living in Living in
BF
BF
Family-Related Reasons
Family not have enough money to buy food
Help the family with work to make money
Parent is sick, need money for medicine
Mother did not let me and forced me to work
Family travelled a lot for work
Family is in debt
School-Related Reasons
No money for school
School is far, no transport
Teacher spanks, teacher takes money
Personal Reasons
Poor grades
Lazy, don't what to go to school
Want to make money
Quarrel with parent
Be with friends
Number of respondents
Total
42.0%
18.8%
5.8%
2.9%
1.4%
1.4%
26.3%
31.6%
5.3%
5.3%
5.3%
0.0%
38.6%
21.6%
5.7%
3.4%
2.3%
1.1%
13.0%
11.6%
2.9%
10.5%
10.5%
5.3%
12.5%
11.4%
3.4%
11.6%
4.3%
1.4%
1.4%
1.4%
69
5.3%
0.0%
5.3%
0.0%
0.0%
19
10.2%
3.4%
2.3%
1.1%
1.1%
88
School-related problems represent another set of reasons for children to quit school. These
reasons include lack of money for school supplies, lack of transport as school for their
13
grade is far, and school punishments. For instance, slightly above 12% of all child workers
who quitted school said that their families were too poor to afford their schooling, while
about 10% of child workers reported that they did not have transport to school that was far
away from their house. Only three children said they quitted school because teacher
spanked them a lot. There is substantial difference between child workers’ current
residence with regard to the reported school-related reasons (Table 4).
Several personal reasons are worth mentioned, as well. Poor grade is a well-known factor
for early school dropout. However, only nine child workers (one living in the brick factory
and the other eight do not) reported that they quitted school because of the poor grade. In
addition, only several child workers said that they just did not want to go to school,
wanted to make money, wanted to be with friends, or wanted to stay away from parents
due to frequent quarrels.
The above finding shows that the family economic hardship stands out to be the leading
reason for children to work, at the expense of education of children.
3. Work Profile of the Child Interviewees
3.1. Previous Work Experience
Child workers who were found working in brick factories during the survey were asked if
they worked for money elsewhere before. They were then classified into three broad and
exclusive categories of previous work experience: used to work in a brick factory, used to
work other jobs (such as daily labourer, waiter, house servant, construction worker, etc.),
and no previous experience (with working on the farm or taking care of cattle being
considered as no previous experience).
Figure 1. Previous Work Experience of Child Workers
Previous Work Experience by Current Residence
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
25.0%
13.9%
20.5%
25.0%
Worked other jobs
22.0%
20.8%
Worked in other BF
56.3%
61.1%
57.6%
Never worked
elsewhere before
Not Living in
BF
Living in BF
Total
Figure 1 above shows that 22% of all child workers had work experience in brick
factories, 20.5% had worked other jobs, and 57.6% never worked for money before. When
14
comparing across their current residence, the percentage of working other jobs is lower
among those living in the brick factory compound than among those who do not (13.9%
versus 25.0%, respectively). This indicates that children who live in brick factory
compounds are more likely to start out their work as brick factory workers than their
counterparts who do not live in brick factory compounds, possibly to help their brick
factory worker parents (See Section Why Working in Brick Factory below).
3.2. Age at Start of Work for Money
In addition, child workers in brick factories who live in the compound tend to start to work
at a very early age. About 57% of them started to work at age below 12 years old, with
25.7% starting to work as young as between 6-8 years old (Figure 2). In contrast, child
workers who do not live in brick factories started their paid jobs at older ages. For
instance, only 21.8% started to work under 12 years of age, while 44.6% started to work at
12-14 years of age, and 33.7% started to work as early as 15 years old.
This finding indicates that children living with parents in brick factories are more
vulnerable to hazardous labour than those who do not live in brick factories. Child workers
living in the brick factory compound started to work at the early stage of life because they
were pulled into the child labour by their parents. Save for the family economic hardship
reason, living in brick factories with brick factory worker parents creates an opportunity
for parents to use their children’s labour, likely to be a kind of unplanned or casual “giving
a hand” at the beginning, such as passing bricks or helping push brick wheelbarrows. This
kind of helping, plus children’s prolonged exposure to all kinds of the work in brick
factories, may instil in both parents and children about children’s work potential in brick
factories and the economic utility of children.
Figure 2. Age at Start of Work for Money
Age at Start to Work for Money
100%
14.3%
90%
80%
28.3%
33.7%
28.6%
70%
12-14 Years Old
60%
40.2%
50%
40%
15-17 Years Old
44.6%
31.4%
9-11 Years Old
30%
22.0%
20%
10%
18.5%
0%
3.3%
Not Living in BF
25.7%
6-8 Years Old
9.4%
Living in BF
Current Residence
15
Total
3.3. Tasks Performed by Child Workers
These pictures are examples of the most common tasks undertaken by children in brick
factories, namely loading and unloading bricks. When the firing process completes and the
kilns are cool enough to unpack the bricks, children, mostly girls from the nearby villages,
come to unload bricks from the kilns and load them onto the trucks for distribution.
Child workers in brick factories usually performed multiple tasks, with 4 tasks being for
the majority of children living in brick factories and 3 tasks being for children not living in
brick factories. The most common tasks undertaken by both child workers who live in and
who do not live in the brick factory compound are pulling brick wheelbarrows, loading
bricks in and out of the kiln, loadings brick onto and out of brick wheelbarrows, loading
bricks onto the truck, and arranging bricks to dry (Figure 3).
Other tasks include operating brick making machines, working with clay (from extracting
to mixing and carrying it to the brick making machine), and firing brick kilns. It is
important to note that a substantial number of child worker interviewees (29 out of 132
interviewed working children) have experience in working with brick-making machines
(putting clay into the machine). This figure shows how child workers are exposed to one
of the most severe forms of child labour in brick factories, even though these children may
work either with their parents who are also brick-making machine operators or under the
subcontracts of another adult brick-making machine operator. In addition, children living
in a brick factory compound are more likely than their counterparts to undertake this task.
For example, ten out of 36 child workers who live in the factory compound (27.8%)
reported having operated brick machines, compared to one in five child workers (19.8%)
who do not live in brick factory compound.
Another set of heavy tasks for children involves the preparation of clay, starting from
extracting, crushing/grinding, mixing, and carrying clay to brick-making machines. These
tasks are mostly undertaken by boys because they involve using more physical strength
than any other tasks. The finding shows that at least about 22% of the interviewed child
workers performed clay crushing or grinding (Figure 3).
Another heavy and dangerous work performed by several child workers is firing brick
kilns, which lasts about 3 weeks, day and night per kiln. In one brick factory, one family
had their grand-children grew up in the factory compound and three of these grandchildren (12, 13 and 15 years old boys) were firing brick kilns. This can be an example for
16
the family job in brick factories that, in some cases, is passed on from older to younger
generations 21.
Children undertaking this
task are involved in
digging burning ashes out
of the kiln and dumping
ashes. Common injuries
are burning because child
workers do not have
protecting working shoes
other than flip-flops.
Furthermore, children not
only work long hours as
brick kilns have to be
fired day and night, but
also face extreme heat
coming from the firing
kilns. Heat stroke can be
the consequence, although its incidence has not been reported.
Figure 3. Tasks Undertaken by Child Workers
Tasks Undertaken by Child Workers
52.8%
Pulling brick wheelbarrows
72.9%
41.7%
Loading bricks in and out of kiln
68.8%
Loading bricks in/out of brick wheelbarrows
44.4%
Loading bricks onto truck
44.4%
43.8%
55.2%
47.2%
39.6%
Arranging bricks to dry
22.2%
21.9%
Crushing and/or grinding clay
27.8%
19.8%
Operating a brick-making machine
16.7%
13.5%
Cutting raw bricks
13.9%
10.4%
Extracting clay
Carrying clay
8.3%
7.3%
Mixing clay
8.3%
5.2%
Carrying rice husks
Firing kilns
Living in BF (n=36)
Not Living in BF (n=96)
5.6%
3.1%
2.8%
2.1%
0.0% 10.0
%
20.0
%
30.0
%
40.0
%
50.0
%
60.0
%
70.0
%
80.0
%
Percent of Cases
21
It is important to note that all brick factories in Battambang use rice husk as the main fuel for firing the
kilns.
17
3.4. Working Days and Working Hours
Child workers in brick-making factories can work on a contract (usually based on the
amount of work to be done), daily, on weekend, or anytime they are free to come to work
(likely to be in the morning or in the afternoon when school day is over). Their usual
working hours range from a minimum of 3 hours to 10 hours daily. Figure 4 summarizes
the percentage distribution of working hours by types of work involved and residence of
child workers in brick factories.
Child workers who are involved in contractual work are more likely to work longer hours
than those working on a daily basis and than those who come to work occasionally.
Between 40% and 45% of those who work under the contract work more than 8 hours a
day, while between 4.3% and 15.7% of those who work daily work such longer hours
every day. However, children who work less than 6 hours a day are likely to be those who
come to work occasionally, either on the weekend or when they have free time.
For children who work occasionally, the proportion of those working less than 6 hours a
day is larger among those living in the brick factory than among those not living in the
brick factory compound (87.5% versus 20.0%, respective). One explanation is plausible.
Given that both groups are likely to be in school, children living in the brick factory
compound work part-time any time when they are not in school, either for extra money or
for helping their parents, while living at the workplace daily. In contrast, those in the
villages are likely to come to work full day on weekends, rather than coming to work a
few hours a day.
Figure 4. Percent of Working 6-9 Hours per Day
Working Hours by Type of Work and Reisdence
100%
4.3%
80%
12.5%
15.7%
90%
45.5%
9-10 hours
40.0%
70%
60%
80.0%
50%
40%
30%
6-8 hours
91.3%
87.5%
84.3%
54.5%
60.0%
20%
< 6 hours
10%
20.0%
4.3%
0%
Not Living Living in Not Living Living in Not Living Living in
in BF
BF
in BF
BF
in BF
BF
On Contract (n=16)
Daily (n=93)
18
Some Days or
Weekends (n=23)
3.5. Earnings
According to the interview with brick factory owners/managers, child workers in brick
factories who did not engage in contractual work earned 5,000 Riels for 8-hour of work 22.
This is an increase by 1,000 Riels, compared with the average wage in 2005 (WVC, 2006).
According to some managers, this wage was already high for children. Children who work
permanently were allowed to stay home on national holidays and would still get paid
150,000 Riels a month without deduction. One brick factory manager said that the wage in
his factory was 6,000 Riels for children who lived in the factory.
While the wage of 5,000 Riels is true on average, not every child is paid with this wage.
The result of the interview with child workers reveals that one third of child workers
received not more than 4,000 Riels daily, with a few children receiving as low as 1,000
Riels for a part-time job and as low as 2,000 Riels for more than 6 hours of work per day.
The earning of those engaging in contractual work varies by types of work. For firing kiln,
a child worker earns an average of about 8,000 Riels a day. For preparing clays or working
with the machine or cutting raw bricks, the average earning is between 6,000 and 7,000
Riels. It is important to note that all workers in one brick factory work on contractual work
and have neither salary nor daily wage.
4. Perception about Child Labour in Brick Factories
Nevertheless, the above finding indicates that child workers in brick factories are involved
in heavy and dangerous child labour with long working hours and low wage. It is
noteworthy that the result of children’s perception about their work is more consistent with
this argument than that of parents’ perception. The section below presents the perception
of children and parents about the tasks undertaken by child workers in brick factories.
4.1. Child Workers’ Perception
Assessed by the percentage of child workers reporting that their work was too heavy for
them, heavy work is found to be associated with types of work, with work under contracts
being heaviest for children, followed by daily work and casual work (Figure 5). For
example, nearly all children working under work contracts complained that their work was
too heavy for them (90.9% among children not living in BF and 100% for those living in
BF), while about 70% of those working on a daily basis complained so (87% among
children living in BF and 62.9% among children not living in BF).
In addition, most children perceived that their working hours were too long for them,
regardless of types of work (81.3% for work under contracts and 83.9% for daily work).
However, Figure 6 shows that the proportion of children complaining about long working
hours of contractual work was higher among those living in a brick factory compound than
among those who did not live in brick factories (100% versus 72.7%, respectively).
These findings also suggest that involving children in contractual work is not good for
children because it is a type of work that is heavy and long-hour.
22
This is equivalent to an earning of 1.2 U.S. dollar a day, based on the exchange rate of 4090 Riels for 1
U.S. dollar, as of July 2007.
19
Figure 5. Percents of Children Reporting That Their Work Was Too Heavy For
Them
Percent of Reporting That Their Work Is Heavy for Them
Not Living In BF
Living in BF
Total
120.0%
100.0%
100.0%
90.9%
93.8%
80.0%
87.0%
62.9%
68.8%
53.3%
60.0%
47.8%
37.5%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
On Contract Work
Daily Work
Types of Work
Occasional Work
Figure 6. Percents of Children Reporting That Their Work Was Too Long for Them
% of Child Workers Reporting That Their Working Hours Are Too Long
from Them
Not Living In BF
Living in BF
Total
120.0%
100.0%
100.0%
81.3%
80.0%
84.3% 82.6% 83.9%
73.3%
72.7%
60.9%
60.0%
37.5%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
On Contract Work
Daily Work
Occasional Work
4.2. Parental Perception
Parents of children working in brick factories were also asked to express their perception
of jobs undertaken by their children in terms of heaviness and length of working hours.
The finding shows that the proportion of parents reporting that their children’s jobs were
too heavy for them or working hours were too long for them was much lower than that
reported by child workers themselves. For example, 30.2% of 41 parents said their
children’s work was not too heavy for them and 44.2% of 41 parents said that the working
20
hours were just about right for their children. This suggests that a substantial number of
parents might believe that the work undertaken by their children in brick factories is right
for them.
The finding that there are many parents who perceived that the jobs undertaken by their
children were just about right for them may explain their rationale for engaging children in
child labour. While there are jobs that are not heavy in terms of using physical strength
and are not long in terms of time disposals, the severity of child labour can be examined in
combination with children’s schooling, as indicated in the ILO Convention 182 about the
worst forms of child labour.
5. Children’s Involvement in the Worst Forms of Child Labour
Many tasks undertaken by
children
working
brick
factories are injury-inducing.
One task is operating brick
making machines that is
well-known for causing
severe injuries to children.
Brick making machines in all
brick factories visited are
without
safety
devices
attached. Machine operators
can have direct contact with
all dangerous parts of the
machine, such as when
putting clay into the machine
to touching the belt. The
reported accidents associated
with operating brick making
machines are commonly
caused by the operator’s
sleeve getting pulled into the
machine when putting and
pushing clay into the
machine. As a result, some
children have had arm or
palm injuries. Some children
even lost their arms due to
such accidents.
21
To understand the scope of child involvement in the worst forms of labour in brick
factories, an index of child labour was created in this study based on the above tridimensional classification of child labour. These dimensions include working hours,
school attendance, and injury severity. The worst forms of child labour are jobs that
interfere with children’s regular schooling and impose threats to child health and child
development. Based in this index, child workers in brick factories were classified into
three categories: children who are not involved in severe work (if children attend school
and work part-time, 5 hours or less a day or on weekends only), children who are involved
in severe work (if children work full-time without attending school), and children who are
involved in the worst form of labour (if children operate brick making machines and not
attending school). Inconsistent or missing cases on any dimension used in this
classification were excluded, resulting in a total of 107 cases remaining (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Involvement of Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour
Involvement of Working Children in the Worst Form of Child Labour
Worst: Operating machine full-time and not attending school
Severe: Work full-time and not attending school
Not severe: Work part-time and attenting school
Total (n=107)
32.1%
Living in BF (n=33)
52.3%
35.3%
Not Living in BF (n=74)
44.1%
30.7%
0%
10%
20%
15.6%
20.6%
56.0%
30%
40%
50%
60%
13.3%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Figure 7 shows a disturbing result that nearly 85% of children working in brick factories
are involved in either severe or worst forms of child labour (32.1% for the worst form and
52.3% for the severe form). Some variation between those living and those not living in
brick factories is observed, with the former being more involved in the worst form of
labour and less involved in the severe form of labour than the latter. Regardless of such
variation, the finding does show that work in brick factories exhibits its link with
schooling of children; mostly the work requires children to work full-time and causes
children to drop out of school.
6. Reasons for Working in Brick Factories
This section discusses the reasons behind children’s engagement in child labour in brick
factories based on the data obtained from the interviews with child workers, parents, and
employers.
22
6.1. Children’s Reasons for Engaging in Child Labour
Child workers in brick factories were asked two open-ended questions to capture the
reasons why a child has to work for money and why a child has to work in a brick factory.
The first question is to capture all reasons behind children’s participation in child labour
and the second reason is to understand why they choose to work in brick factories.
Figure 8 shows the reasons for working given by child workers interviewed. Similar to the
reasons of why child workers quitted school, the family economic hardship appears to be
the top reason for children to engage in child labour, regardless of whether they live in the
brick factory compound or not. For instance, 77.1% of those not living in the BF
compound and 72.2% of those living in the BF compound reported that they work because
their families needed money for food.
Figure 8. Reasons for Working: Child Workers’ Responses
Reasons for Working
To get away from the house
0.0%
5.2%
Have some free time
0.0%
5.2%
To meet friends
Forced to work by parents/custodians
Need money for schooling
Family needs money to buy medicine
Family is in debt
0.0%
8.3%
Living in BF
Not Living in BF
25.0%
9.4%
13.9%
15.6%
13.9%
16.7%
22.2%
14.6%
25.0%
17.7%
Help parents/relatives with their work
19.4%
Have money for personal needs
35.4%
72.2%
77.1%
Family needs food
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0%
Percent of Cases
The second main reason for working is different by whether child workers live in the BF
compound or not. Working to meet personal needs (such as clothes, shoes, snacks, etc.) is
the second reason for working among child workers who do not live in BF compound
(35.4%). However, the second top reason for working among children who live in the BF
compound is that they are engaged in child labour by their parents or custodians (25%) or
helping parents or custodians with their work (25%). The third reason for those living in
the brick factory compound is to work to help the family pay debts (22.2%). The second
and the third reasons combined indicate that children who live in brick factory compound
are pulled into child labour because of the family situations, noticeably around the issue of
survival and debts, rather than personal will or pleasure.
23
6.2. Children’s Reasons for Working in Brick Factories
After knowing the reasons behind what pulls child workers into work, it is important to
understand why they chose to work in brick factories. It is important to note that 18
children did not respond correctly to this question because they responded that they work
in a brick factory because their family needs money. These responses were not relevant
and were excluded from the result presented in Figure 9 below.
Among brick factory workers who do not live in brick factory compounds, the distance to
their workplace becomes an issue. For instance, 50% of them said they worked in a brick
factory because it was close to their home. This is true, given the parental concern about
their safely because the majority of them are girls aged 15-17 years old. Other reasons
include getting a job very easily in brick factories (19.0%), being acquaintance to someone
in the brick factory (17.9%), no skills or experience required (9.5%), easy money (7.1%),
and nice managers (8.3%).
Figure 9. Why Do Children Work in Brick Factories?
Why Do You Work in BF?
2.6%
Family in debts to BF
6.7%
1.2%
Do not know other
places
Nice manager/owner,
can borrow $
Easy money than other
jobs
Easy work, no skills
needed
7.9%
3.3%
9.5%
7.9%
6.7%
8.3%
7.0%
6.7%
7.1%
7.9%
3.3%
9.5%
19.3%
20.0%
19.0%
Kids accepted in BF,
other places do not
27.2%
Family/relatives work
or live in BF
Near the house, parents
not allow to go far
0.0%
Total (n=114)
Living in BF (n=30)
Not Living in BF (n=84)
53.3%
17.9%
39.5%
10.0%
50.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Among child workers who live in brick factory compounds, their first two reasons are
quite contrasting to those of children coming from villages. This finding is not unexpected,
however. The majority of brick factory children (53.3%) said that they worked in brick
factories because their families or other relatives worked or lived there. However, only
10% of them indicated that their parents did not allow them to work elsewhere that is far
away from where they lived. This finding confirms that, by living in a brick factory
compound, children tend to be pulled into work in brick factories in the long run.
24
6.3. Parents’ Reasons for Engaging Children in Child Labour
To better understand the reasons behind the involvement of children in child labour,
parents and adult workers who have their children work in brick factories were also asked
to provide three most important reasons for allowing their children to work in brick
factories.
Categorization of their responses deserves attention here because a variety of reasons were
given by the parents. Some of their responses were overlapped, such as “family needs
food,” “family is poor,” “family has many children to feed,” and “family does not have
enough money.” For simplicity, these responses were grouped into one category: “family
needs money for survival.” Another category is related to forcing children to work by
parents. This category include parents’ 4 reasons: children have to work because parents
need their help, children have to work because work in a brick factory becomes the family
job, children have to work this job because the family lives in the factory, and children
have to work to replace their parents who are old or sick. With one parent excluded from
the analysis due to missing answers, the reasons were based on 42 parents and were
categorized into five groups: the family needs money for survival, the family needs money
to pay off debts, parents need child help with their work in brick factories, children want
to work because of the need for money to cover school expenses, and children want to
work because they have free time (Figure 10). Overall, each parent provided 2 reasons on
average.
Figure 10. Reasons for Letting Children Work: Parents’ Responses
Parents' Reasons for Engaging Children in Child Labour
Family is in debt 0.0%
7.1%
9.4%
Child has free time, child
wants to work
Child needs money for
schooling
11.9%
40.0%
Total (n=42)
Not Living in BF (n=10)
Livign in BF (n=32)
3.1%
14.3%
30.0%
9.4%
Child has to work: Parents
need help or are sick
40.0%
54.8%
59.4%
88.1%
90.0%
87.5%
Family needs money for
survival
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0
%
Percent of Cases
25
The result shows several consistent reasons for engaging in child labour between the
responses provided by child workers (Figure 8) and by parents (Figure 10). One consistent
finding is the family economic hardship. About 90% of parents said that their children had
to work because their families needed money to buy food and other basin needs, compared
to nearly 80% reported so.
Another leading reason is that children are pulled into child labour by their parents
because either their families live there, parents need their help to perform their work,
parents need replacements when they are sick or old, or jobs in brick factories have
become the family tradition (54.8% of parents reported this category). This figure is found
to be higher among parents who lived with parents in brick factories than among parents
who did not live in brick factories (59.4% versus 40%, respectively). While the specific
reason among those who did not live in brick factories is related with old or sick parents,
the finding confirms the argument that children living in the brick factory compound will
be pulled into brick factory jobs in the long run by their parents, regardless of the
economic circumstances of the families.
Working to earn some money for schooling and working because children want to work
are also reasons, but these reasons by the proportion of the respondents are more relevant
to children who do not live in the factory than to those who live in the factory compound.
For example, only few parents who lived in brick factories reported that they let children
work because children needed money for schooling (one of 32 parents) or children had
time and wanted to work (3 of 32 parents). But, a substantial proportion of parents who
did not live in brick factories reported that they let children work because children needed
money for schooling (3 of 10 parents) or children had time and wanted to work (4 of 10
parents). Although the number of village parents is small (only 10 parents), the finding is
likely to be reliable and consistent with children’s own responses presented in Figure 8
above.
Another specific reason for those living in brick factories is that parents engage their
children in child labour because of debt. Although the percentage for this reason is small
(only reported by 3 parents) compared with that for other reasons, the finding reflects a
situation where some families were brought to live and work in the factory by the
owner/manager to pay off debt. In short, children who live in the brick factory are engaged
in child labour largely because of the family economic hardship and their needed labour.
6.4. Brick Factory Owners/Managers’ Reasons for Hiring Children
Brick factory mangers/owners were also asked why there were children working in brick
factories and why they hired children to work. Given the sensitive nature of the questions,
not every brick owner/manager answered the question. Specifically, five of all 15
respondents refused to provide reasons. This was not unexpected because the study was
also designed to collect this information indirectly through three other questions, including
the questions of satisfaction about having child workers in brick factories, of positive
things about child workers, and of negative things about child workers.
According to the owners or managers, children came to work in brick factories because of
three reasons. The first reason is associated with the jobs in brick factories, such as no
special skills required, jobs are easy for them to perform, and no strict working regulations
(such as they could come any day they wanted to work). The second reason is that children
26
in the neighbouring villages come to work in brick factories. The third is that some
children quit school and look for jobs to earn money.
With regard to the reasons of hiring children, three reasons are important here. The first
reason is associated with children’s family economic hardship (9 out of 10 brick
owners/managers). Specifically, the owner/manager saw that the children are poor and
need help; so they give them jobs.
As said by two managers interviewed:
“Children had to work somehow to make some money for the families, given their
family situation. Thus, it was better to give them something to do here, where we
knew it would be both helpful to their families and preventing them from
undertaking other unpredictably anti-social acts.”
Another manager said very similar:
“We know about child labour laws. However, if we do not let them work, who else
would help them? They are from very poor families. Thus, giving them some work
to do means to help them. In addition, we do not want to see them become child
labourers along the Thai border, where work is so harsh, exploitative, and
deceiving for them.”
The second reason is that owners/managers can’t resist children begging to work there (4
out of 10 owners/managers said so). As they said, “It’s hard to resist children’s wanting to
work here, especially when many come here and keep asking for work.” The third reason
is that some of the children’s families work at the brick factories, and the parents
requested that their children be allowed to work too; otherwise, parents would not take the
job (according to 4 of 10 managers). In sum, the responses to the direct of hiring child
workers show good, rather than bad, intentions of the employers.
Using the indirect questions assumes that the employer would prefer child labour if he or
she is satisfied with child workers or has good things to say about their child workers. It is
important to note that not every employer answered the satisfaction question, while all of
those who were satisfied with child workers had good things about child workers to say
and the rest had more bad things to say about child workers than good things (Table 5).
Six of 15 owners/managers reported that they were satisfied with having children coming
to work in their factories, while 4 others said they were not satisfied and 5 respondents
neither responded nor showed any satisfaction at all (Table 5). Furthermore, some
owners/managers perceive several good things about their child workers. According to
their respondents, children are easy to be managed, come to work on time, can work
independently on contract, work fast and work hard, and are good for carrying bricks.
However, some of these features are viewed otherwise by other owners or managers. For
instance, four respondents said that they had hard time to manage working children. In
addition, some owners/managers reported several other negative features of children
working in their factories, such as children were not careful or not serious, not working
hard, playing a lot, causing damages to the factories, not coming to work regularly, getting
sick or hurt because of falling bricks, and complaining a lot.
27
It is important to note that the field work observation indicated that some owners or
managers were reluctant when answering the interview questions. It is no doubt that they
were aware of child labour issues and attempted to hide real intentions of why they hired
children to work. Even so, the finding in this section reveals several reasons behind hiring
child workers, ranging from the feeling of sympathy due to children’s poor families to
children as good labour force in brick factories.
Table 5. Brick Factory Owners/Managers’ Satisfaction about Child Workers
A. Owner/Manager's Satisfaction with Child Workers
Satisfied
Neither satisfied not dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Not respond
Number of respondents
B. What is good about having child workers in the BF?
Easy to make them work, no force needed
Punctual
Good for working on contract
Working fast, hard
Carrying bricks is suitable for children
Number of respondents
Number of saying “NONE”
C. What is not good about having child workers in the BF?
Hard to make them work or manage them
Not careful, not serious, playing too much
Causing damages
Small children are not very productive
Not coming to work regularly
Getting sick or hurt by bricks sometimes
Complaining a lot
Number of respondents
Number of saying “NONE”
N
6
4
4
1
15
N
4
2
2
1
1
6
6
N
4
4
3
2
2
1
1
11
2
7. Work Conditions in Brick Factories
Understanding of the working conditions of child labour helps us understand the
awareness of the risk of work hazards, children’s exposure to hazardous work, and
consequences of work impact on child development. In addition, the impact of hazardous
work conditions is preventable and reducible through self-awareness and best practice of
health care. The working condition of brick factories is examined using brick factory
aggregated data obtained from children’s respondents. Then, the perception of parents on
their children’s workplace is presented. Finally, data on work safety and regulations
obtained from children, parents, and employers are summarized in this section.
28
The observation from the fieldwork shows that the environment for working in the brick
factory is hazardous to child health due to unsafe working environment, such as heat,
smoke, burning ashes, flying ashes, pieces of broken bricks everywhere, prolonged
working hours, and heavy and dangerous jobs undertaken by children. In addition, one
brick factory had also unbearable stinks of manures, while a few other brick factories had
sanitary problems because the place was not clean and workers consumed rain water or
water from a pond directly.
7.1. Assessment of Child Workers about Their Work Place
Seven dichotomous questions were used to capture the overall work conditions in brick
factories, based on the knowledge of child workers 23. These questions include whether the
respondent thinks that their work place 1) has not first-aid kits, 2) is extremely hot, 3) has
flying ashes, 4) is not safe as bricks can fall on workers any time, 5) has no sanitation, 6)
is not a safe place for kids to live and work, and 7) is hazardous to their health. Each
question was converted into a work condition index for each brick factory, with a factory
being considered as having bad working conditions if at least 50% of child respondents
agreed with a given question 24. This criterion results in the exclusion of 9 out of 25
factories because these factories had only one or two child workers interviewed, which is
insufficient number of responses. Each of the seven indexes is presented in Figure 11.
Consistent with the observation,
the above finding shows that child
workers in brick factories are well
aware
of
their
hazardous
workplace. With regard to 4 brick
factories that were voted to be a
good place for children to live and
a good workplace with no
hazards, further cross-checking
the data and the field notes reveal
the following. First, one brick
factory could be a good place to
live and to work because it is
located in a school territory.
Second, an alternative explanation
is durable for the other factories.
Many child workers working in
brick factories may get so
accustomed to the place that
sanitary problems, burning and
flying ashes, pieces of broken
bricks, and falling bricks become
no longer an issue for them. In
addition, they may not be aware
23
Observations are also good data source for this. However, the survey technique was use in this study, in
addition to the observation, in order to capture the respondents’ knowledge and awareness of their working
conditions in brick factories.
24
A stricter definition of good work conditions can be applied, such as at least 75% of the interviewees had
to agree on each statement.
29
of the long-term negative impact of hazardous work conditions because it is usually
undetectable.
Obviously, all brick factories were perceived by at least 50% of the interviewed child
workers as having bad working conditions on three indexes: unbearable heat (100%),
flying ashes (100%), and falling bricks on workers (100%). In addition, all but one factory
were viewed also as having bad working conditions on lack of sanitation (15 of 16
factories) and no first-aid kits (15 of 16 factories). Finally, only 12 out of 16 brick
factories were voted as a place that was not safe for children to live and as a health
hazardous workplace.
Figure 11. Working Conditions in Brick Factories
Percent of Brick Factories Having Bad Working Conditions As
Reported by at least 50% of Child Interviewees (N = 16 BFs)
Hazadous to health (12 BFs)
75.0%
Not Safe for kids to live in (12 BFs)
75.0%
No sanitation (15 BFs)
93.8%
Bricks falling on workers (16 BFs)
100.0%
Flying dusts/ashes (16 BFs)
100.0%
Extremely hot (16 BFs)
100.0%
No first-aid kits (15 BFs)
93.8%
7.2. Brick Factories as a Safe Place for Children: Parents’ View
All parents were asked if they thought that brick factories were a safe place for their
children to live or to work. Interestingly, 30% of the parents (11 of 33 parents who lived
in brick factories and 2 out of 10 parents who did not live in brick factories) said “yes” on
each question. This means that a substantial number of parents view brick factories as
both a safe living place and a safe workplace for their children. While not every kid living
or working in a brick factory suffers, such a parental view causes a great concern about the
well-being of children.
The other 66.7% of parents do view that brick factories are not suitable for children to live
or to work. They reported four primarily concerns about brick factories as a place for
young children to live: flying ashes, stepping on burning ashes, possibility of bricks falling
on, and getting cut or injured by brick pieces. Regarding the brick factory as an unsafe
place for children to work, a variety of explanations were given by these parents. They
include, in addition to the above four concerns, a danger associated with working with
brick making machine, sanitary problems, or the danger of trucks running over children.
30
8. Work Safety and Regulations
Some tasks, such as operating a brick machine, digging and carrying clays, firing kilns,
and cleaning burning ashes, are extremely dangerous for children to undertake. Other
tasks, such as loading bricks and pulling brick wheelbarrows, are less dangerous if
properly managed. This section summarizes knowledge and practices about work safety
and regulations based on the interviews with children, parents, and the employers.
Specifically, these respondents were asked if there was any task that children were
prohibited to undertake in brick factories, how they were enforced, and if child workers
had been provided with work safety orientations before starting to work.
8.1. Prohibited Tasks for Child Workers
The result of the interview with child workers shows that the majority of children were
allowed to undertake any tasks. According to 71 child workers (54% of the interviewed
child workers), no one had ever prohibited them from undertaking any task since they
worked. It is noteworthy that children living in the brick factory compound are more likely
to report no task restriction than those coming from villages (64% versus 50%,
respectively). The rest (61 child workers) said they were forbidden to undertake certain
tasks; such as operating a brick machine; cutting raw bricks; extracting, grinding, and
mixing clays; carrying clays; firing kilns; and cleaning burning ashes (Figure 12).
However, the proportion of child workers reported being prohibited from undertaking each
of these tasks is low, with the exception of operating machine because about 57% of child
workers interviewed reported that they were prohibited to work with the machine.
Figure 12. Self-Reported Tasks Prohibited to Undertake
Child Workers' Self-Reported Tasks Prohibited To Undertake
Firing kiln/clean ashes
Carrying clay
Extracting clay
9.8%
23.1%
6.3%
13.1%
10.4%
23.1%
21.3%
18.8%
Living in BF
(n=13)
30.8%
23.0%
23.1%
22.9%
Cutting raw bricks
Not Living in
BF (n=48)
24.6%
30.8%
22.9%
Mixing clay
34.4%
Crushing and/or grinding clay
31.3%
46.2%
57.4%
Operating brick machine
0.0%
Total (n=61)
54.2%
69.2%
10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0%
The finding that about 57% of child workers interviewed reported that they were
prohibited to work with the machine is consistent with the responses provided by parents
and by brick factory owners/managers. On the one hand, for instance, two thirds of parents
31
(28 of 43 parents) said that they knew operating a machine was prohibited for children
under 18 years of age, while 10 out of 15 owners/managers also reported the same thing.
On the other hand, there is evidence that some brick factories did not have any regulations
about working with brick making machine (11 of parents and 3 of 15 brick factory
owners/managers said so).
8.2. Access to Work Safety Information
To assure work safety in vulnerable work conditions, child workers should have been
informed about these hazards and the measures against them. Child workers were asked if
they had received any information about how to work safely, how often, and by whom.
All but two brick factory owners or managers reported that their child workers had
received work safety orientations before they started to work. According to child workers
who were interviewed, only about 52% of them said they received such information
(56.3% among child workers not living in brick factories and 38.9% among child workers
living in brick factories). Among those who were told about work safety, the majority
reported received such information 1-3 times in the past (Table 6).
Table 6. Access to Work Safety Information
Been told about work safety
No
Yes
Total
How often?
1-3 times
> 3 times
By Whom?
Owner/manager
Co-worker
Family/Relatives
NGO
Last time that was told
0 this morning
1 Yesterday
2 2-3 days ago
3 About week ago
4 A week-one month ago
5 More than a month ago
Not living in BF
Living in BF
Total Children
42 (43.8%)
54 (56.3%)
96 (100%)
22 (61.1%)
14 (38.9%)
36 (100%)
64 (48.5%)
68 (51.5%)
132 (100%)
36 (72.0%)
14 (28.0%)
50 (100%)
5 (35.7%)
9 (64.3%)
14 (100%)
41 (64.1%)
23 (35.9%)
64 (100%)
21
8
15
11
52
(40.4%)
(15.4%)
(28.8%)
(21.2%)
(100%)
4 (28.6%)
1 (7.1%)
8 (57.1%)
1 (7.1%)
14 (100%)
25
9
23
12
66
(37.9%)
(13.6%)
(34.8%)
(18.2%)
(100%)
11
4
6
8
10
8
47
(23.4%)
(8.5%)
(12.8%)
(17.0%)
(21.3%)
(17.0%)
(100%)
2
4
3
2
1
2
14
13
8
9
10
11
10
61
(21.3%)
(13.1%)
(14.8%)
(16.4%)
(18.0%)
(16.4%)
(100%)
(14.3%)
(28.6%)
(21.4%)
(14.3%)
(7.1%)
(14.3%)
(100%)
However, many of them did not receive such information from the brick factory owners or
managers, with only 40.4% among those not living in brick factories and 28.6% among
those living in brick factories being told by the managers or owners. In other words, many
32
of these children knew about work safety from other sources, including parents or relatives
and NGOs. According to the interviewed parents, only 7 parents living in brick factories
reported that there was a casual monitoring of work safety in brick factories by the owners
or managers, while the rest claimed that their working children knew about work safety
through either parents or someone else.
Interestingly, nearly 50% of all child workers receiving work safety information said that
the last time they received such information was just a couple of days prior to the survey
was conducted (Table 6). This is one of the good practices that remind children about
work safety now and then, if their reports were reliable. Given that child labour is a
sensitive issue and the owners and managers were informed about the survey, however,
this finding suggests that some owners or managers may have just reminded their child
workers about the work safety because of the coming survey.
9. Impact of Child Labour
Impact of child labour in brick factories on child development represents one main
objective in this study. The negative impact of child labour on child health and education
can be detrimental to child development because of its far-reaching effects, and its longterm effects are usually hard to detect. In addition, the relationship between child labour
and child development is complex because the relationship is multidimensional, dynamic,
positive or negative, or causal or spurious. In other words, there is no single effect of
child labour but a multitude of effects on child development that vary with the nature of
the work undertaken, with the duration of work that indicates the length of exposure, and
with the living condition of children’s families.
Given the above, the duration at current work is used to compare the impact of being
involved in child labour on schooling, health, and other development-related behaviour.
All child workers are grouped into having worked less than 2 years and having worked at
least 2 years in brick factories. The 2 years cut-off point is arbitrary, but it assures
capturing all lagged effects of child labour.
9.1. Impact of Child Labour on Education
The impact of working in brick factories on schooling can be assessed by comparing
school-related issues across working duration, with the assumption that the longer a child
works in a brick factory, the more he or she will be likely to either quit school or have
school-related problems. For those who quitted, the timing of quitting school and the time
of start of the current work are used to identify child workers who quitted school after they
had started to work. Out of 91 children, 7 were missing on the timing of school dropouts
and were excluded. For those who are still in school (n = 33), a series of questions
addressing their schooling behavioural problems were asked. The result is presented in
Table 7.
The percent of school dropouts is apparently higher among children with longer work
duration than their counterparts with shorter work duration (37.8% versus 7.7%,
respectively). In addition, all children who work have school-related problems, but
children who have worked for at least 2 years seem to have more school-related problems
than do those who have worked less than 2 years. For example, 52.6% of children having
worked for at least 2 years reported that their study has been getting poorer than before,
33
compared with only 21.4% among those having worked less than 2 years. The percentage
of going to school late and frequent class skipping is also high among old child workers
(47.4% and 42.1%, respectively) than among more recent child workers (28.6% and 7.1%,
respectively).
The interviewed parents also reported that their children’s schooling attitudes and
behaviour had changed after they started to work in brick factories. For example, about
one third of their working children reported (20 out of 55 reported children) had developed
negative attitudes towards their schooling (disliking going to school), decreased regular
school attendance (skipping school more often), and received poorer school grades than
before.
Table 7. Impact of Work on Schooling
Duration at current jobs
< 2 years
2+ years
Total
I. Not in School
Total N (excluding 7 missing on timing)
Quit School After Having Worked in BF
% quitting school after having worked in BF
II. Currently in School
Since starting to work,
My study has been getting poorer than before
I have gone to school late more often
I have skipped class more often
Total N
39
3
7.7%
45
17
37.8%
84
20
23.8%
21.4%
28.6%
7.1%
14
52.6%
47.4%
42.1%
19
39.4%
39.4%
27.3%
33
9.2. Impact of Child Labour on Health
9.2.1. Self-Assessed Health Problems
Child workers were asked to assess their own general health conditions by answering true
or false to a set of 9 questions (Questions 39_1 - 39_9, Appendix 1). The questions were
combined to create a general health index, classifying the respondents into no health
problems if a child reported having less than 3 health problems, moderate health problems
if a child reported having 3-5 health problems, and severe health problems if a child
reported having 6-9 health problems.
The result in Figure 13 shows that about four fifths of child workers who lived in brick
factory compounds assessed their own health conditions as either moderate or severe
based on the general health index. Minor difference is found to be between those working
less than 2 years and those working at least 2 years, with an exception that the proportion
of reporting severe health problem is higher among recent workers than among long-term
workers (40.0% versus 33.3%, respectively). Such a difference can be either due to small
sample size that makes the result less reliable or due to the fact that recent workers are
undergone abrupt changes in health experience after undertaking a specific task.
However, the difference in self-assessed health conditions across work durations is more
pronounced among child workers who come from the nearby villages, with longer work
34
duration being associated with more moderate or severe health problems than shorter work
duration. For example, 91.5% of child workers with longer work duration reported having
experienced health problems (36.2% having moderate and 55.3% having severe health
problems), compared to 74.5% among those with shorter work duration (27.7% having
moderate and 46.8% having severe health problems). These figures not only show
shocking concerns about child health among child workers in brick factories, but also
indicate possible health deterioration of children who had working two years or longer.
Figure 13. Self-Assessed Health Index of Child Workers
Percent Distribution of Health Index of Child Workers
by Residence and Work Duration
Not Live in BF (n=94)
Live in BF (n=33)
Not a problem
22.2%
Work 2+ Years (n=18)
40.0%
36.2%
55.3%
25.5%
0%
33.3%
40.0%
8.5%
Work < 2 Years (n=47)
10%
Severe Problem
44.4%
20.0%
Work < 2 Years (n=15)
Work 2+ Years (n=47)
Moderate Problem
20%
27.7%
30%
40%
46.8%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
9.2.2. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Sicknesses Due to Work
In addition to general health assessment, specific health problem experiences, as indicated
by sicknesses or injuries due to work were also asked from all child workers interviewed.
A list of sicknesses was given to the respondents who were asked to indicate if any of
them has ever happened to them due to work, and if so, how often (never, rarely,
sometimes, or often). Figure 14 presents the result of the experienced sicknesses that had
happened often to child workers for those living in brick factories and for those not living
in brick factories, separately.
Both child workers living in or not living in brick factory compound tend to suffer from
health impact of their work and workplace conditions. The most common health impact is
eye watery or eye itches because of smoke and flying ashes (83% among village children
and 75.8% among brick factory children). Other health problems experienced frequently
by children who did not live in brick factories include backache (40.4%), skin itches
(40.4%), skin rashes (37.2), body or muscle ache (36.2%), chest pain (31.9%), and a
number of other minor illnesses.
35
Child workers who lived in brick factories also experienced these problems frequently, but
the proportion of experiencing each problem is a bit different from that among those who
did not live in brick factories. For instance, they were less likely than their village
counterparts to experience backache (18.2% versus 4.04%), chest pain (15.2% versus
31.9%), headache (21.1% versus 33.0%), skin rashes (24.2% versus 37.2%), difficult
breathing (18.2% versus 25.5%), and stomach-ache (9.1% versus 16.0%). One potential
explanation may be that these children have better adapted to the work environment in
brick factories than their counterparts because they live and work in the same
environment.
Figure 14. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Sicknesses
Incidence of Frequently Experienced Sicknesses
Stomachache
Fever
9.1%
16.0%
18.2%
20.2%
Cough
Breathing difficulty
18.2%
25.5%
33.3%
27.7%
Dizziness
Chest pain
Headache
15.2%
31.9%
21.2%
33.0%
36.4%
36.2%
Body or muscle ache
Skin rashes
24.2%
37.2%
42.4%
40.4%
Itches
Backache
Livign in BF
Not living in BF
30.3%
23.4%
18.2%
40.4%
75.8%
Eye watery/itch
83.0%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0%
9.2.3. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Accidents and Injuries
All child workers were asked if any accident or injury had ever happened to them, and if
so, how often. Below is the result of the reported incidence of accidents and injuries based
on the number of child workers who reported that these injuries had happened to them
frequently (Figure 15).
36
It is apparent that minor cuts are the most common type of injuries experienced frequently
by nearly half of the interviewed child workers in brick factories, regardless of residence
and work duration. The most common reasons are bricks falling on (45% of reported
severe incidence) and being cut with bricks while loading/unloading or carrying them
(27.5% of reported severe incidence). The third reason is cutting foot by sharp objects
(pieces of bricks or shovel) when tripped over because of not wearing proper working
shoes (17.5%).
The next common type of injuries is the minor burn that happened frequently to 24.5% of
child workers who did not live in brick factories and to 15.2% to child workers who lived
in brick factories. The leading reason for this injury is unloading bricks from the kiln
while bricks were still hot. Serious cuts and serious burns do happen frequently to about
10-15% of child workers.
Figure 15. Incidence of Frequently Experienced Injuries
Incidence of Frequent Injuries by Residence and Work Duration
60.0%
Minor
cuts
Serious Sprains
cuts
Minor
burns
Serious
burns
Not living in BF (n=94)
Serious Sprains
cuts
20.0%
11.1%
15.2%
22.2%
15.2%
13.3%
16.7%
15.2%
Minor
cuts
6.7%
0.0%
17.0%
10.6%
10.6%
10.6%
10.0%
4.3%
10.6%
7.4%
20.0%
8.5%
12.8%
10.6%
30.0%
31.9%
24.5%
46.8%
48.9%
47.9%
40.0%
46.7%
38.9%
42.4%
Work <2 years
Work 2+ years
All Duration
50.0%
Minor
burns
Living in BF (n=33)
It is noteworthy that the percentage of children experiencing serious injuries is obviously
underestimated due to the use of frequent experiences because severe injuries are less
likely to happen as frequently as minor injuries. Nevertheless, the finding shows that both
minor and severe injuries are common for work in brick factories.
Below presents a case study of a brick factory based on observation and an informal
discussion with 4-5 adults. The case study shows how children who live and work in the
brick factory suffer from the unsafe living and working conditions, how they are pulled
into child labour, and how they are neglected by the owner and manager of the brick
factory.
37
“The factory has 10 kilns and 5 brick making machines. Fourteen worker families,
with about 20-25 small children, are living in the compound. These families were
migrants from Takeo, Kampot, or Kampong Speu. Common jobs for these families
are firing kilns, clay preparation, and brick machine operation. One family has
lived and worked in this factory for three generations as kiln firing clerk. Some
children are living in disrupted families as their parents were divorced or separated,
while some other children are raised by their grand-parents.
Children live in misery. All children, after reaching 8 years old, are considered old
enough to help their parents or other adults with arranging bricks, pushing brick
wheelbarrows, and loading bricks onto a truck. They work without wage, but often
they receive 200-300 Riels for their daily labour.
Two serious accidents involving working with brick making machine happened in
this factory about 9-12 months before the survey. About 12 months ago, one child
was pulled into the machine up to his armpit. After spending 3 months in a hospital
with the help from an NGO, his life was saved and his arm was spared. Another
child was pulled into another machine about 3 month after the first incident. The
accident was less severe than the previous one as only the child’s hand was caught
in the machine and several stitches saved his hand too.
Children living in this factory have problems with their health. Many of them
looked skinny, while some looked paled, weary, and undernourished. They were
sick frequently. Some suffered from chronic chest pain and headache because they
started to work at a very young age.
These children lack basic education. Two children never attended school, while
many quitted school at grade 4 or 5. They quitted school in order to help their
parents with their work. Those who are still in school do not attend school
regularly, however, because sometimes their parents need their labour immediately
to finish up the contractual work.
10. Best Practices to Reduce Work Hazards
Best health practices, such as wearing protection device while working, can help reduce
the impact of hazardous work on health and development. However, an overwhelming
number of child workers in brick factories did not wear any protection device while
working. Figure 16 shows the proportion of children who never wear any protection
device.
Noticeably, wearing glasses and working hat is not a practice for all child workers. Only
few children reported wearing working shoes (12.1% among children living in brick
factories and 27.7% among children not living in brick factories). However, wearing sun
hat, mask or scarf, and working gloves is more practical among some children, with the
proportion being higher among children from villages than among children living in brick
factories, although the proportion is low (Figure 16).
38
One leading reason for not wearing any of these devices is that they did not have them and
could not afford buying them. It is important to note that some of child workers reported
that they received working shoes, working gloves, and masks from WVC.
11. Awareness of Child Labour Proclamation
As aforementioned, not every brick factory provide orientation about work safety to
children before they started to work (only 11 of 15 managers/owners reported providing
such an orientation to children) and not every factory prohibited children from working as
a machine operator (only 10 of 15 managers/owners claimed having prohibited children to
operate brick-making machines in their factories). In addition, many brick factory owners
or managers (9 of the 15 interviewees) did not know about the existence of any child
labour proclamation in Cambodia. Some of these factories are located in Anlong Vil
commune in Sang Ke district; while others are located in O Mal commune of Battambang
district.
Thus, it is clear from the study that there is a huge gap in the practice by the owners or
managers to ensure a safe working environment for children, as well as rules and
regulations to eliminate potential harms to child workers in brick factories.
Figure 16. Percent of Wearing Any Protecting Device While Working
Percent of Never Wearing Protecting Device
Wearing protecting
glasses
100.0%
97.9%
Wearing working
shoes
Wearing sun hat
87.9%
72.3%
Living in BF
Not living in BF
27.3%
10.6%
Wearing working
helmet
100.0%
97.9%
87.9%
Wearing mask or scarf
47.9%
Wearing working
gloves
0.0%
51.5%
33.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
120.0%
12. Expectations of the Future of Child Workers
Figure 17 shows what child workers and their parents expect about the future of the child
workers. Interestingly, the majority of child workers do not want to continue their
schooling, contradicting to the expectation of parents who lived in brick factories. This
may be due to the fact many child workers interviewed had already quitted school. Many
children wanted to find a job elsewhere, while a few children expressed their intention of
39
continuing to work in the brick factory, the finding is similar to that provided by parents
who did not live in brick factories.
Figure 17. Future Expectation of Child Workers
Expection of the Future of Child Workers
Parents
13.8%
Living in BF
(n=29)
Don't know
55.2%
37.9%
3.4%
0.0%
Not livign in
BF (n=9)
44.4%
66.7%
0.0%
Continue to
study
Child Workers
8.3%
Living in BF
(n=36)
36.1%
Find another
job elsewhere
47.2%
11.1%
5.2%
Not living in
BF (n=96)
24.0%
61.5%
11.5%
0.0%
Continue to
work here
10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
13. Suggestions for Improving Working Conditions for Children in Brick Factories
Suggestions for improving working conditions of child labour in brick factories were
sought from child workers and parents (Figure 18). Interestingly, many respondents, either
child workers or parents, had no ideas on how to improve the working conditions, while
another significant number of parents and child workers paid great attention to child
worker factor, rather than attempting to raise some issues that might have significant
contribution to the improvement of child workers’ work condition at all.
However, some respondents came up with a few suggestions, although the proportion of
making these suggestions is very low, with the maximum of only 21% among children,
11.8% among children living in brick factories, 15.2% among parents living in brick
factories, and 30% among parents not living in brick factories. Their suggestions include
reducing work loads for children, increasing wages for children, providing protection
equipments to children, imposing rules that ban children from undertaking dangerous
tasks, establishing rules that ban the employ from forcing children to work beyond their
physical capability, providing sick-leave benefits when sick due to work, and providing
support for children’s schooling.
40
Figure 18. Improving Working Conditions for Children in Brick Factories
Child workers Living in BF (n=34)
Parents Not living in BF (n=10)
Parents Living in BF (n=33)
0.0%
Provide
Benefits: Rules on
Need
continued leave when dangerous protection
education sick, health taks, not
device
coverage
force
children to
work
41
27.2%
21.7%
Reduce
work loads
10.0%
19.6%
Increase
wage
11.8%
10.0%
9.1%
8.7%
2.9%
5.0%
3.3%
2.9%
0.0%
0.0%
10.0%
1.1%
2.9%
0.0%
6.1%
15.0%
6.1%
20.0%
10.9%
5.9%
10.0%
15.2%
25.0%
5.9%
10.0%
6.1%
30.0%
30.0%
35.0%
32.6%
Child workers Not Living in BF (n=92)
40.0%
35.3%
30.0%
24.2%
45.0%
33.3%
41.2%
Improving Work Conditions of Child Workers in Brick Factories
Children
must be
more
careful
No idea
VI. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Conclusion
The study is designed to describe the working and living conditions of children working in
brick factories and the impact of child labour on child development. In addition, reasons
for working, reasons for involving children in child labour, and reasons for employing
children are documented based on the interviews with child workers, their parents, and
their employers. The research sites are all brick factories in two districts in Battambang
province: Battambang and Sang Ke districts, which are the surrounding areas of
Battambang provincial city. Data were collected using interviewer-completed
questionnaires from three main sources (132 child workers, 43 parents, and 15 brick
factory owners or managers) from 26 brick factories.
Child workers in about 30 brick factories in the targeted areas are estimated to be at least
400 or 500 children during the high child labour-demand season. These children are those
coming from only villages within the vicinity of the brick factories or those migrants who
live in the brick factory compound. One in every five working children living in brick
factories is involved in the worst forms of child labour as they had ever worked as brick
machine operators at least some times during their working careers and had never attended
or stopped attending school. The figure is 13.3% among children not living in brick
factories. Additionally, about 50% are involved in the severe forms of child labour
because they work any jobs between 6 and 10 hours a day without going to school. This
shows the estimated scope of the involvement of child workers in the worst forms of child
labour.
Child workers who lived in brick factories tend to start to work at a very younger age than
those who lived in the villages because of their parents’ need for their labour. This
suggests a prolonged exposure to work and great vulnerability to hazardous labour among
those living in brick factories. The most common jobs undertaken by children are carrying,
loading, and unloading bricks. According to nearly respondents, either child workers
themselves, parents, or brick factory owners or managers, the family economic hardship
stands out to be the top reason for why children have to work, followed by work to earn
money for schooling and/or personal needs,
It is important to note that brick factories have several unique features that allure children
to come to work. They include high demand of child labour (carrying, loading and
unloading bricks), easy getting a job, no required skills or experience, no strict regulations,
easy money, and easy advances. For those who live in brick factories, furthermore, core
jobs of brick production (preparing clay, producing raw bricks, and firing kilns) have
become the family occupation because they work to have a place to stay. This translates
into engaging children in child labour in the brick factory in the long run. From the brick
factory owners/managers’ point of view, the availability of child labour force, their
generosity, parents’ demand for hiring children, children are easy to be managed, and
children’s capability to work (punctual, independent, fast, hardworking, and suitable for
carrying bricks) are their reasons for hiring children.
42
Working environment in the brick factory is hazardous to child health due to unsanitary
environment (unclean, smoke, bad smells of manures, and consuming pond water), unsafe
working environment (such as heat, burning ashes, flying ashes, and pieces of broken
bricks everywhere), and the hazardous work (prolonged working hours, heavy work, and
dangerous jobs). Nearly all brick factories visited were found to have poor and hazardous
work conditions due to unbearable heat, flying and burning ashes, falling bricks, lack of
sanitation, no first-aid kits, and no lack of work safety regulations. Even so, wearing
protection device is not yet a common practice for all child workers due to lack of
protection equipments.
Early work means prolonged exposure to hazardous work and great health vulnerability.
Impact of child labour on child development is found to be noticeable on two indicators.
One is the interference on children’s schooling, which is found to be greater among child
workers who worked longer than those who recently started to work. The impact on
schooling includes a tendency to drop out of school, poor grades, and irregular school
attendance. The other is the impairment of children’s physical and mental health due to
injuries and sicknesses caused by hazardous work. Long-term child workers perceived that
their general health condition has been deteriorated since work. Specifically, many child
workers complained about eye watery or eye itches due to smoke and flying ashes,
backache, chest pain, frequent headache, skin rashes, breathing difficulty, stomach ache,
minor cuts and wounds, and minor burns.
2. Recommendations
1. Since the main reason for children to work is the family economic hardship, it may
be unwise to eliminate all forms of child labour. However, children should be
prohibited from undertaking all dangerous jobs, including operating brick
machines, brick firing operations, and clay preparations. In addition, work-load
and work-age regulations should set and strictly enforced. They include the
reduced current work load for children, no forced labour, no work under contract,
no full-time work for children less than 15 years of age during school time, no
work more than 5 days a week for full-time child workers, etc.
2. Children have the rights for development. Thus, efforts against child labour should
make sure that child workers have equal chance to attend school, that they attend
school, and that they stay in school to complete at least their basic education. If
they cannot attend school regularly for whatever reasons, especially those who live
in brick factories, continued education should be provided either at the work place
or at a designated place.
3. Child workers should be entitled to full health benefits. In other words, employers
should take full responsibility for their child workers to cover their health expenses
in case of injuries or sickness due to work, as well as recovery care. Local health
authority should be involved.
4. Increase knowledge and awareness of work hazards. Efforts should aim at
developing the public awareness of children’s rights and the damage to children
caused by child labour. Such awareness requires partnerships among many
different groups, including government sectors, businesses, trade unions,
43
educators, researchers, NGOs, the community leaders and stakeholders, parents,
and children themselves.
5. Work safety regulations should be set and standardized for all brick factories. The
legal force should be given to the regulations. The regulations should list also
safety measure requirements for all child workers, including safe working
environment and use of protection devices that include safety helmet, working
shoes, workable gloves, masks, and protecting glasses. The employer should be
responsible for providing these safety devices to child workers; and should workers
should be charged for or not be allowed to work if not wearing the protection
device at work. Warning signs or stickers of danger should be placed on each of
work equipments and areas that are health-threatening or injury- or incidentinducing.
6. Safety devices should be required for all brick making machines. The machine belt
should be properly and completely covered. The machine slot where clay is put
should be funnelled in such a way that avoids direct contact of hand and the
machine.
7. Monitoring and enforcement mechanisms should be created, including codes of
conduct for employers in which they be confined employing children as set by
work and work safety regulations, work safety orientations to all child workers,
labour inspections, safety inspections, fines, and health checks.
8. Workshops on the current state of Cambodian Labour Law and other existing
Prokas related to child labour should be organized for all brick factory owners,
managers, workers, and child workers. Furthermore, the information about child
labour and its worst forms, the impact of child labour on child development,
measures needed to reduce the impact, and work regulations should be
disseminated through outreach activities to parents, with the cooperation and
involvement of all parties concerned, such as the local authority, employers,
teachers, health practitioners, and law enforcers. Factories with safe working
environments and protection in place should be encouraged.
9. By nature, children cannot fight for their rights because they are powerless. Thus,
child workers need others to advocate and campaign on their behalf. Advocates
against the worst forms of child labour should initiate social activities aiming at
increasing the public awareness of child labour issues and at involving all parties
concerned and relevant. In addition, they should set as priority identifying children
who live in impoverished families and are involved in the worst forms of child
labour because these children are most at risk of being forced into labour.
44
REFERENCES
Ashagrie, Kebebew, 1998, Statistics on Working Children and Hazardous Child Labour in Brief,
Geneva: International Labour Organization.
ILO. 1999. Convention 182: Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, Geneva,
International Labour Organization.
ILO/IPEC, 2002, Study on the Legal Protection of Child Domestic Workers in the Asia-Pacific,
ILO/Japan/Korea, Asian Meeting on Action to Combat Child Domestic Labour, Chiang Mai,
Thailand 2-4 October 2002.
Lansky, M. 1997. “Child Labour: How the Challenge is Being Met.” International Labour Review,
136(2): 233-257.
LICADHO Education and Advocacy Kit, working document, 2001.
Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. Proclamation about Prohibiting Children to Work in
Dangerous Places. Dated: 28 April 2004.
Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Energy. Business Directory. Accessed on September 29, 2007 at
http://www.mime.gov.kh/khmer/businessdirectory.asp
NIOSH, 1997, Child Labour Research Needs: Recommendations from the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, US Department of Health and Human Services and CDC.
Accessed online at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/97-143a.html.
NIS. 2002. Cambodia Child Labour Survey 2001. National Institute of Statistics. Phnom Penh,
Cambodia: Ministry of Planning.
O’Donnell, Owen, Eddy Van Doorslaer, and Furio C. Rosati, 2002. “Child Labour and Health:
Evidence and Research Issues.” Understanding Children’s Work: An Inter-Agency Research
Cooperation Project. ILO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
Pinder, Andrew D.J., 2000, Manual Handling in the Brick Production Industry: Results of a Study
of the Ergonomics of Brick Packing, Health & Society Laboratory: Human Factors Group,
UK. http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2000/hsl00-20.pdf.
Rozemuller, Bas. 1999. An Overview of the Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry in North West
Cambodia. CAS and UNDP/CARERE.
UCW, 2006, Children’s Work in Cambodia: A Challenge for Growth and Poverty Reduction,
Inter-Agency Report to the Government of Cambodia, ILO/IPEC, UNICEF, and World Bank.
Accessed online at www.ucw-project.org/ucw/cambodia_rpt.pdf
Woolf, A., 2002, “Health Hazards for Children at Work”, Journal of Toxicology and Clinical
Toxicology, 40(4): 477-482.
WVC, 2005, How and Why We Work: Child Workers in the Informal Economy In Phnom Penh
and Battambang, WVC Report for the Combating the Worst Forms of Child Labour Project.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Peace and Justice Programme, WVC.
WVC. July 2006. Assessment of Public Health Risks and Positive Health Practices for Working
Children. A Report prepared by Dr. Poch Bunnak, CPS at RUPP, for the Combating the
Worst Forms of Child Labour. Phnom Penh, Cambodia: WVC.
45
APPENDIX 1. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INTERVIEW WITH
WORKING CHILDREN
Questionnaire ID:.............. Interviewer:........................ Date of Interview:........./06/2007
Workplace:…………………..Village:............................ Commune: ……………................
Time Starts: ...........................
Time Ends: ..............................................
Checked by team leader: Name …………………. Signed ………………………………
Introduction:
My name is............, conducting research for LICADHO and WVC on the living
conditions, schooling, health, and work of children in Battambang. The research can only
be successful with your cooperation. So, I would like to ask you to participate by
answering questions related to the above topics. There is no right or wrong answer. If there
is any question that you do not want to answer, you can choose not to answer it. The
interview takes about 30 minutes. All information you provide will be kept strictly
confidential and will be used for a summary report only. Do you agree to participate? (yes
no). It yes, shall we start!
Respondent’s Profile
1. Sex:
[ ] Male
[ ] Female
2. Age:.............years old
3. Do you live with your family in the brick factory compound?
1. No Æ Village …………………….. Commune ………………………….
2. Yes
4. Whom do you live with? (Circle all that apply)
1. Biological father
2. Step-father
3. Biological mother
4. Step-mother
5. Other custodian(s), please specify ……………………………………………………
5. If having a father or living with a male custodian, what is his main occupation? ……..
6. If having a mother or living with a female custodian, what is her main
occupation?…….
7. How many siblings do you have? ................ (if no sibling, Skip to Question 11)
8. How many of your siblings are between 7-17? ………………
9. What is your birth order in the family?
10. Please list all of your siblings aged 6-17, Do not include yourself!
Sibling Sex
Age
School grade
Occupation, if working
1
M
F
2
3
4
5
46
Now, we want to ask you some questions about your schooling
11. Are you currently going to school?
1. No Æ Had you ever attended school before?
1. No. Æ Why did you not go to school? …………………………………
..………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Yes Æ If Yes, ask:
What was the highest grade you ever attended? ………………
For how long have you stopped going to school? . mo .. yrs ago.
Why did you stop going to school? …………………………….
(GO to Question 20).
2. Yes
12. What grade are you in? ……………….
13. How many days a week do you go to school? ……….. days a week
14. Since you started to work, is your study improved, the same, or worse than before?
1. Worse
2. Same
3. Improved
15. Since you started to work, have you ever come to school late?
1. Never
2. Sometimes
3. Often
If the answer is 2 or 3, ask: Did you use to go to school late like this before? 1. No
2. Yes
16. Since you started to work, have you ever skipped class?
1. Never
2. Sometimes
3. Often
If the answer is 2 or 3, ask: Did you use to skip school late like this before? 1. No
2. Yes
17. Since you started to work, is your relationship with other students better, same, or
worse?
1. Worse
2. Same
3. Better
18. Since you started to work, have you ever had fights with other students?
1. Never
2. Sometimes
3. Often
If the answer is 2 or 3, ask: Did you use to go to school late like this before? 1. No
2. Yes
19. Since you started to work, have you ever had other school discipline problems?
0. No
1. Yes, What problems? ……………………………………………………………….
………….………………………………………………………………………………
Now, we want to ask you some questions about your work
20. What tasks do you undertake here? (Circle all that apply)
1. Operating a brick-making machine
47
2. Cutting raw bricks
3. Extracting (digging) clay
4. Crushing and/or grinding clay
5. Mixing clay
6. Carrying clay
7. Loading bricks in and out of the kiln
8. Loading bricks onto the truck
9. Loading bricks in and out of the brick wheelbarrow
10. Pulling a brick wheelbarrow
11. Arranging bricks to dry
12. Others, please specify ……………………………………………………………..
21. Which tasks are you prohibited from undertaking in the factory? (DO not read the
answers. Circle all that apply)
1. None Æ Go to Question 23
2. Operating a brick-making machine
3. Cutting raw bricks
4. Extracting (digging) clay
5. Crushing and/or grinding clay
6. Mixing clay
7. Carrying clay
8. Loading bricks in and out of the kiln
9. Loading bricks onto the truck
10. Loading bricks in and out of the brick wheelbarrow
11. Pulling a brick wheelbarrow
12. Arranging bricks to dry
13. Others, please specify ……………………………………………………………..
22. Who prohibits you from undertaking those tasks? (Do not read the answers;
Multiple answers)
1. No one
2. Factory owner/manager
3. My work supervisor
4. Labour inspector
5. Family or relatives
6. Don’t know who
7. Other, specify ………………………………………………..
23. For how long have you been working in this factory? …………months ……. years.
48
24. Now, tell me about your working days and times you usually work over the last 6
month.
Days usually work Hours a day you work
Time you usually work
By work load
………. hours
From …… to …… and from …… to ……
Every day
………. hours
From …… to …… and from …… to ……
only … days
………. hours
From …… to …… and from …… to ……
Weekend only
………. hours
From …… to …… and from …… to ……
If free
………. hours
From …… to …… and from …… to ……….
25. Why do you have to work? (Do not read to answers; multiple answers are allowed)
1. My parent(s)/custodians forced me to work
2. My family needs food
3. My family needs money for buying medicine
4. My family needs money to pay off debts
5. To help my parents/relatives with their work
6. To have money for my schooling (pay school fees or buy school supplies or snacks
at school)
7. To have money for personal needs
8. To meet friends
9. To get away from the house
10. Don’t like school/Cannot study
11. Had fight/problem with students at school
12. Others, please specify ………………………………………………………………
26. Why do you accept to work in the brick factory? (Not other job?)
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
27. How much do you get paid on average? .............................daily or ………... monthly.
28. What do you do with the money earned?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
29. According to you, how important is your money contribution to your family’s need?
1. Not important at all
2. Little important
3. Very important
30. According to you, how important is the money you earned for you?
1. Not important at all
2. Little important
3. Very important
31. Had you ever worked elsewhere before coming to work here?
1. No
2. Yes Æ What job? ………………………………………………………
32. At what age did you first start to work for money? …………. Years old.
49
Health Profile
33. How often have you sustained any injuries because of working or living in the factory?
Problems due to work How Often?
1 Minor cuts or wounds
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
2 Serious cuts/wounds
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
3 Broken bones
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
4 Sprains
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
5 Minor burns
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
6 Serious burns
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
7 Other ……………
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
(If Never to all questions, Go to Question 35)
34. Among theses injuries, which one was serious that involved medical attention (being
taken to a doctor, taking medicine…)? (You can remind the respondent of their
answers)
Injuries (Use Code from How did it happen?
above)
1 …………………………
………………………….…………………………
2 …………………………
………………………………………………….…
3 …………………………
………………………………………………….…
35. How often have you sustained any of the following sicknesses because of working or
living in the factory?
Problems due to work How Often?
1 Chest Pain
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
2 Backache
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
3 Body or muscle aches
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
4 Difficult breathing
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
5 Headache
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
6 Fever
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
7 Cough
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
8 Dizzy
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
9 Stomach ache
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
10 Diarrhoea
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
11 Itches
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
12 Skin rashes
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
13 Eye watery/itches
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
50
14 Other ……………
1. Never
2. Rarely
3. Sometimes
4. Often
(If Never to all questions, Go to Question 37)
36. Among these sicknesses, which one was serious that involved medical attention
(seeing a doctor, taking medicine…)? (You can remind the respondent of their
answers )
Sickness (Use Code from What caused it?
above)
1 ……………………………… ………………………….…………………………
2 ……………………………… ………………………………………………….…
3 ……………………………… ………………………………………………….…
37. How do you feel about your health now in general compared to that before you work
here? Is it:
1. Worse than before
2.The same as before
3.Better than before
38. Do you know why? ……………………………………………………………………..
39. To your best knowledge, is the following true or not? (Read the statement and check
the appropriate box)
Since my children started to work,
1 I have gotten sick more often
1. True
2. False
2 I have eaten less than before
1. True
2. False
3 I have lost their weight
1. True
2. False
4 I have had nightmares
1. True
2. False
5 I have had sleep difficulty
1. True
2. False
6 I feel tired all the time
1. True
2. False
7 I have had eye impairment
1. True
2. False
8 I have had hearing impairment
1. True
2. False
9 I often forget things
1. True
2. False
Work conditions and safety
40. Have you been taught or told about work safety while working here?
No
Yes. If Yes:
a. How often? ………………………………………………………..……………………
b. When was the last time you were told? ………………………………………………..
c. By whom? ……………………………………………………………………………
d. What did they teach you? ………………………………………………………………
51
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
41. Do you wear any of the following protective devices while working and how often?
Always Often Sometimes Never If NEVER, explain why?
Wearing:
Working
gloves
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
2 Masks/scarf
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
1
3
Safety
helmet
Hat
protect
4 from
to
………………………………..
………………………………..
………………………………..
………………………………..
………………………………..
………………………………..
………………………………..
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
Boots
or
5 working
shoes
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
Protecting
glasses
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
………………………………..
the sun
6
………………………………..
………………………………..
………………………………..
………………………………..
42. For each of these statements about your workplace and your work, please say if it is
true or false according to your best knowledge:
1. My workplace has first-aid kits
[ ]False
[ ] True
2. My workplace is extremely hot
[ ]False
[ ] True
3. I am always working in the sun
[ ]False
[ ] True
4. I often carry or lift heavy loads of clay or bricks
[ ]False
[ ] True
5. There are lots of dusts or ashes flying when it winds [ ]False
[ ] True
6. Bricks can fall on me
[ ]False
[ ] True
7. I am allowed to operate a brick-making machine
[ ]False
[ ] True
8. My working hours are too long for me
[ ]False
[ ] True
9. My workplace has sanitation
[ ]False
[ ] True
10. My work place is safe for children living here
[ ]False
[ ] True
11. I do not have time to take any break while working [ ]False
[ ] True
12. My job is heavy for me
[ ]False
[ ] True
13. My work is not hazardous to my health
[ ]False
[ ] True
52
43. Since you work here, have you seen other working children got sick at work?
0. No
1. Yes Æ How many? ………..
How did they get sick (Ask for the major cause)? ………………
……………………………………………………………………
…….………………………………………………………………
44. Since you work here, have you seen other working children got injured at work?
0. No
1. Yes Æ How many? ………..
How did they get injured (Ask for the major cause)? …………….
…………………………………… ……………………………
…….………………………………………………………………
45. Since you work here, have you seen any children living in the factory got injured at
work?
0. No
1. Yes Æ How many? ………..
How did they get injured (Ask for the major cause)? …………….
…………………………………… ………………………………
…….………………………………………………………………
46. What are your future goals? (Do not read the answers)
Continue working in brick factory
Find another job elsewhere
Continue study
Other, specify …………………….
47. What do you think should be done to improve children’s work conditions and their
protection?
…………………..…...............................................................................................................
…………………..…...............................................................................................................
48. Do you have any requests?
…………………..…...............................................................................................................
…………………..…...............................................................................................................
Thanks for your participation!
For the interviewer, Please record the following:
Height of the child: ………………………
Is he/she skinny?
a. Very skinny
Weight of the child: ………………..
b. A bit skinny
Request for the interview with the parent: [ ] No
c. Normal
[ ] Yes
Name of the parent: ……………………………………
Address: …………………………………………Time: ………………………………
53
APPENDIX 2. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INTERVIEW WITH
PARENTS/CAREGIVERS OF WORKING CHILDREN
Child Questionnaire ID:..............
Parent Questionnaire ID:..............
Interviewer:................................
Date of Interview:........./07/2007
Residence: Village: ..................... Commune: ………….......District: ……………………..
Time Starts: ...................................
Time Ends: ..............................................
Checked by team leader: Name …………………. Signed ………………………………
Introduction:
My name is..........., a researcher conducting a survey for LICADHO and WVC to get a
better understanding of the living conditions, schooling, health, and work of children in
Battambang. The research can only be successful with your cooperation. So, I would like
to ask you to participate by answering questions related to the above topics. There is no
right or wrong answer. If there is any question that you do not want to answer, you can
choose not to answer it. The interview takes about 30 minutes. All information you
provide will be kept strictly confidential and will be used for a summary report only. Shall
we start!
1. Sex:
1. Male
2. Female
2. How old are you? ……………..
3. Do you live with your spouse?
1. Yes
2. No Æ Are you … Widowed
… Divorced
or … Separated?
4. What is your village of current residence? (Write down the name of the factory if
the respondent lives in the factory compound)
1. In Brick factory
2. In Village …………….. Commune ………………
5. Since when have you lived in the above place?
Since born
(Go to Question 7)
Since the year of …….
6. Where did you live before? …………………………………… (Name of the Province)
7. Please answer with Yes or No to the following questions:
Yes
No
1 Does your family own a house?
[ ]
[ ]
2 Does your family own any farming land?
[ ]
[ ]
3 Does your family raise any farm animals?
[ ]
[ ]
4 Does your family have a motorcycle?
[ ]
[ ]
5 Does your family have access to electricity?
[ ]
[ ]
54
6 Does your family have access to clean water? (piped or well [ ]
water)
[ ]
7 Does you family have a TV set?
[ ]
[ ]
8 Is your family in dept?
[ ]
[ ]
8. Are you working in this brick factory?
1. No Æ What is your main occupation? ……………………… (Go to Question 10)
2. Yes Æ What kind of work do you undertake? ……………………………………
9. How long have you worked in the brick factory? …………years ………….. months
9.a. Why are you working in the brick factory? …………………………………………..
10. What is your average monthly income? …………………………..
Children and Their Education
11. How many living children do you have? ………………….
12. How many children are between 7 and 17 years of age? ………………
13. Please provide the education information for each of your children age 7-17 years old
(Please complete all questions with child 1 first, before continuing with the next
child if the respondent has more than one child):
Children age 7-17 Years old
Child 1
Child 2
Child 4
A. Age
B. Sex
C. Still in school?
D. Why not in school?
1. No
1. No
1. No
2. Yes Æ Question E
2. Yes Æ Question E
2. Yes Æ Question E
………………………
…………………………
……………………
………………. (Go to ……………. (Go to Q ……………….
Q G)
G)
to Q G)
(Go
E. Grade in school
F. Does the child attend 1. No
school regularly?
Yes
G. Child is working?
2. 1. No
1. No Æ Go to Next 1. No
Child
Child
2. Yes
H. Child works in a 1. No
brick factory?
2. Yes
2. Yes
1. No
Yes
2.
Æ Go to Next 1. No Æ Fill Child
Form if >3
2. Yes
2. Yes
1. No
1. No
2. Yes
2. Yes
Continue to Next Child Continue to Next Child Fill Child Form if
if any
if any
more than 3 children
55
Children and Their Work
14. Please provide work information of each of your children currently working in the
brick factory (Please start with Child 1 and continue to the next child if the
respondent has more than one working child):
Tasks performed (use Work Duration
codes below, can be
more than 1)
Child 1
… months … yrs
Child 2
… months … yrs
Child 3
… months … yrs
Child 4
… months … yrs
Days/week
Hours/day
Box A. Task Codes:
1. Operating a brick-maker machine
2. Cutting raw bricks
3. Extracting (digging) clay
4. Crushing and/or grinding clay
5. Mixing clay
6. Carrying clay
7. Loading bricks in and out of the kiln
8. Loading bricks onto the truck
9. Loading bricks in and out of the brick wheelbarrow
10. Pulling a brick wheelbarrow
11. Arranging bricks to dry
15. (Complete Question A before asking Question B)
A. Please provide three important reasons of why you allow your children to work?
1. ………………………………………………………………………………
2. ………………………………………………………………………………
3. ………………………………………………………………………………
16. In your opinion, is your child’s work too heavy or just about right for their age?
1. Very heavy
2. About right
3. Not heavy
4. Don’t know
17. In your opinion, are your child’s working hours too long, just about right, or too short
for their age?
56
1. Too long
2. About right
3. Too short
4. Don’t know
18. To your best knowledge:
1. Work place in the brick factory is safe for children to live?
1. Not? How? …………………………………………………
2. Yes
3. Don’t know
2. Work place in the brick factory is safe for children to work?
1. Not? How? …………………………………………………
2. Yes
3. Don’t know
Impact of Child Work
19. To your best knowledge, have these situations been worse, the same, or better since
your children started to work at their current job? (Read the statement and check the
appropriate box)
Child 1
Statements
1.
Worse
2. Same
3.
Better
4. DN
1.
Worse
2. Same
3.
Better
4. DN
1 Your child’s attitudes toward schooling
2 Your child’s regular school attendance
3 Your child’s grade
4 Your child’s relationship with friends from
school
5 Your child’s relationship with friends
outside school
6 Your child’s relationship with teachers
Child 2
Statements
1 Your child’s attitudes toward schooling
2 Your child’s regular school attendance
3 Your child’s grade
4 Your child’s relationship with friends from
57
school
5 Your child’s relationship with friends
outside school
6 Your child’s relationship with teachers
Child 3
Statements
1.
Worse
2. Same
3.
Better
4. DN
1 Your child’s attitudes toward schooling
2 Your child’s regular school attendance
3 Your child’s grade
4 Your child’s relationship with friends from
school
5 Your child’s relationship with friends
outside school
6 Your child’s relationship with teachers
20. To your best knowledge, is the following true or not regarding to your working child?
(Read the statement and check the appropriate box)
Since my children started to work,
Child 1
Child 2
Child 3
1 They have gotten sick more often
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
2 They have eaten less than before
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
3 They have lost their weight
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
4 They have had nightmares
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
5 They have had sleep difficulty
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
6 They have been tired all the time
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
7 They have had eye impairment
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
8 They have had hearing impairment
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
9 They forget things a lot
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
1. T
2. F
21. How often any of these illnesses happened to your child since staring to work at brick
factory?
Child 1
Problems due to work
How Often?
1 Chest Pain
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
2 Backache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
58
3 Body or muscle aches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
4 Difficult breathing
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
5 Headache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
6 Fever
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
7 Cough
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
8 Dizzy
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
9 Stomach-ache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
10 Diarrhoea
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
11 Itches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
12 Skin rashes
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
13 Eye watery/itches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
14 Other ……………
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
Child 2
Problems due to work
How Often?
1 Chest Pain
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
2 Backache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
3 Body or muscle aches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
4 Difficult breathing
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
5 Headache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
6 Fever
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
7 Cough
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
8 Dizzy
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
9 Stomach-ache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
10 Diarrhoea
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
11 Itches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
12 Skin rashes
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
13 Eye watery/itches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
14 Other ……………
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
Child 3
Problems due to work
How Often?
1 Chest Pain
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
2 Backache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
59
3 Body or muscle aches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
4 Difficult breathing
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
5 Headache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
6 Fever
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
7 Cough
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
8 Dizzy
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
9 Stomach-ache
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
10 Diarrhoea
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
11 Itches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
12 Skin rashes
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
13 Eye watery/itches
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
14 Other ……………
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
22. Skip this question if all answers above are never. Which illness is serious and how
it happened?
Child 1
Serious Illness How did it happen to your child?
1
2
Child 2
Serious Illness How did it happen to your child?
1
2
Child 3
Serious Illness How did it happen to your child?
1
2
23. How often any of these injuries or accidents happened to your child since staring to
work at brick factory?
Child 1
Problems due to work
How Often?
1
Minor cuts or injuries
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
2
Serious cuts or injuries
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
3
Broken bones
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
60
4
Sprains
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
5
Minor burns
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
6
Serious burns
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
7
Other, specify ………
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
Problems due to work
How Often?
Child 2
1 Minor cuts or injuries
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
2 Serious cuts or injuries
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
3 Broken bones
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
4 Sprains
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
5 Minor burns
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
6 Serious burns
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
7 Other, specify ………
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
Child 3
Problems due to work
How Often?
1 Minor cuts or injuries
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
2 Serious cuts or injuries
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
3 Broken bones
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
4 Sprains
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
5 Minor burns
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
6 Serious burns
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
7 Other, specify ………
1. Never
2. Rarely 3. Sometimes 4. Often
24. Skip this question if all answers above are never. Which injuries or accidents were
serious and how it happened?
Child 1
Injuries or Accidents How did it happen to your child?
1
2
Child 2
Injuries or Accidents How did it happen to your child?
1
2
Child 3
61
Injuries or Accidents How did it happen to your child?
1
2
25. What did you do when your child is sick or injured due to work? (Do not read the
answers, can be more than one answer)
1. Buy medicine for the drug store
2. Go to a public health provider
3. Go to a private health provider
4. Go to traditional healer
5. Do nothing
6. Other, please specify …………………………………………………………
26. Who paid for their medical fee?
1. The employer. about …………. percent.
2. Family
3. Children themselves
4. Other, please specify ……………………………………………………………….
27. Since working here, have you ever known that other working children here were sick
while working?
1. No
2. Yes Æ a. How many as you know? ……………….
b. What are the major causes? …………………………………………….
28. Since working here, have you ever known that other working children here were
injured while working?
3. No
4. Yes Æ a. How many as you know? ……………….
b.
What
are
the
……………………………………………….
major
causes?
29. Since working here, have you ever known that other children living here were injured?
5. No
6. Yes Æ a. How many as you know? ……………….
b. What are the major causes? …………………………………………….
V. Knowledge about Child Labour and Work Safety
30. Do you know if there are any age requirements for working children to undertake
specific tasks at the brick factory?
1. Yes
2. No
62
3. Don’t know
31. Do you know that operating a brick-making machine is prohibited for children under
18?
1. Yes
2. No Æ Go to Question 34
3. Don’t know Æ Go to Question 34
32. Who enforces this prohibition? (Multiple answers)
1. Employer or work supervisor
2. Provincial government or local labour inspector
3. Teacher
4. Parents/family
5. Nobody Æ Go to Question 34
6. Don’t know Æ Go to Question 34
7. Other, please specify …………………………………………………
33. How the prohibition is enforced? (Multiple answers)
1. a. Now-and-then monitoring at the workplace
b. Regular monitoring at the workplace
2. Displaying prohibitions at the workplace
3. Through parents or family members
4. Don’t know
5. Other, please specify ………………………………………………..
VI. Future Perspectives and Suggestions
34. What are your goals for the future of your children? (Can be more than one answer)
1. Continue to work at the brick factory
2. Continue to work other jobs, but not at the brick factory
3. Access an education
4. Other, please specify ……………………….
35. How the work condition should be improved for the sake of child workers?
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
36. Any final suggestions or requests?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
Thank you!
63
APPENDIX 3. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INTERVIEW WITH BRICK
FACTORY MANGER/OWNER
Child Questionnaire ID:..............
Parent Questionnaire ID:..............
Interviewer:................................
Date of Interview:........./07/2007
Factory Code: ……….Village: .................... Commune: ….… .......District: ……………..
Time Starts: ...................
Time Ends: .........................................
Checked by team leader: Name ……………….
Signed ………………………………
Introduction:
My name is..........., a researcher from the Center for Population Studies at RUPP. We are
conducting a survey for LICADHO and WVC to get a better understanding of the living
conditions, schooling, health, and work of children in Battambang. The research can only
be successful with your cooperation. So, I would like to ask you to participate by
answering questions related to the above topics. There is no right or wrong answer. If there
is any question that you do not want to answer, you can choose not to answer it. The
interview takes about 30 minutes. All information you provide will be kept strictly
confidential and will be used for a summary report only. Shall we start!
Background Information
1. Sex:
1. Male
2. Female
2. Age: ……………..
3. Position: …………………….
Factory Information
4. How many brick kilns does the factory have? ……………………………
5. How many adults are working in the factory? ………………………….
6. How many families are working in the factory? ………………………
7. Where do the majority of these families come from? (Identify 3 top provinces of
origin)
1. …………………..
2. …………………………..
3. ………………………….
8. How many children are living in the factory compound?
1. Boys: Age < 7: ……………
Age 7-17: …………………….
2. Girls: Age < 7: ……………
Age 7-17:| …………………….
9. How many children on average are working with their families or in group in the
factory?
1. Boys: ……………
2. Girls: ……………
10. What tasks do child workers undertake in the factories?
64
1. Operating a brick-maker machine
2. Cutting raw bricks
3. Extracting (digging) clay
4. Crushing and/or grinding clay
5. Mixing clay
6. Carrying clay
7. Loading bricks in and out of the kiln
8. Loading bricks onto the truck
9. Loading bricks in and out of the brick wheelbarrow
10. Pulling a brick wheelbarrow
11. Arranging bricks to dry
12. Others, please specify ……………………………………………………………….
11. Can you tell us some positive things about hiring children to work at your factory?
1. (A)……………………………………………………………………………………
2. (B)……………………………………………………………………………………
3. (C)……………………………………………………………………………………
4. (D)……………………………………………………………………………………
5. (E)……………………………………………………………………………………
12. Can you tell us some negative things about hiring children to work at your factory?
1. ………………………………………………………………………………………
2. ………………………………………………………………………………………
3. ………………………………………………………………………………………
4. ………………………………………………………………………………………
5. ………………………………………………………………………………………
13. Among what you have just mentioned (Refer to the answers of Question 11), which
is the first, second, and third most important reasons for you to hire children to work at
your factory? (Circle only ONE per row)
1. First most important is
A
B
C
D
or E
2. Second most important is
A
B
C
D
or E
3. Third most important is
A
B
C
D
or E
14. Do you have any other reasons to add about why you hire children to work?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
15. On a scale of 5, with 1 being very dissatisfied and 5 being very satisfied, how you
score your satisfaction with having children working in your factory?
Very Dissatisfied
1
2
3
65
4
5
Very Satisfied
Incidence of Sickness and Injury
16. Have there been any cases of children sick while working at the factory as you have
known?
1. No Æ Go to Question 17
2. Yes
17. What type of sicknesses and how many cases? (Ask to get as many answers as
possible)
How Many cases?
Sicknesses
……………………………………
………………………………
…………………………………………..
…………………………………………..
……………………………………
…………………………………………..
……………………………………
………………………………………..
……………………………………
…………………………………………..
18. Have there been any cases of children injured while working at the factory as you have
known?
1. No Æ Go to Question 19
2. Yes
19. What type of injuries, how it happened, and how many children infected? (Ask each
type of the injuries)
Type of injuries
How it happened?
How many?
1 Minor cuts/bruises
2 Serious cuts/bruises
3 Broken bones
4 Sprains
5 Minor burns
6 Serious burns
Other,
specify
7 …………………
20. What kind of supported do you provide to a sick or injured child worker? (Multiple
answers)
1. None
2. Pay for medical care: [ ] < half
[ ] about half
[ ] > half
3. Compensation
4. Lend money to family or the child
5. Other, specify ……………………………………………………………
66
[ ] full
Safety Measures
21. Are there any age requirements for each task undertaken by children working in the
factory?
1. Yes
2. No
22. Do child workers receive any information or advice about work safety before
undertaking a task?
1. Yes
2. No Æ Go to Question 22
23. How do they receive the information about the safety?
1. Group meeting/training provided by the factory manager/owner
2. Group meeting/training provided by NGOs
3. Group meeting/training provided by local labour inspectors
4. Printed materials
5. Being supervised while working
6. TV spots provided by NGOs
7. Other, please specify ………………………….
24. Are there any internal regulations set to ensure work safety for child workers in your
factory?
1. Yes
2. No Æ Go to Question 25
25. What are these regulations? Please list them all.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
26. How are they enforced?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………
27. Are you aware of the existence of the Child Labour in Cambodia?
1. Yes
2. No Æ Go to Question 25
67
28. What recommendations do you have for improving the living and working
environments for children in the brick factory? (Multiple answers)
1. Don’t know
2. No children allowed to work in factories
3. No children allowed to undertake heavy tasks or to operate brick-making machine
4. Do not allow children near dangerous places in the factory
5. Make sure children attending school
6. Develop non-formal education classes
7. Develop agreement on working conditions
8. Internal rules/regulations
9. Regular inspections
10. Poster displays at the factory or warning signs on brick-making machines
11. More advocacy campaigns to raise awareness
12. Other, please specify ……………………………………………………..
Thank you!
68
APPENDIX 4
Research Team
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Miss Chhan Sreymom
Miss Kim Sreyniang
Miss Kim Srey Sor
Mr. Soung Thea
Mr. Van Thirab
Mr. Sambo
Mr. Phum KimMay
Miss. Chay Panjary
Mr. Yung Sokhan
Mr. Ran Vanchan
Dr. Poch Bunnak
Student, Psychology Dept., RUPP
Student, Psychology Dept., RUPP
Student, Psychology Dept., RUPP
Student, Psychology Dept., RUPP
Student, Psychology Dept., RUPP
WVC, Battambang
WVC, Battambang
WVC, Battambang
LICADHO, Battambang
LICADHO, Battambang
Consultant, CPS, RUPP
Field Note on Data Collection
The data collection started on 09 July 2007 after the field work permission was obtained
from the Provincial Office of Battambang and ended on 12 July 2007. Thus, the local
authority knew about the survey before the field work started.
The number of respondents, all three types, were slightly less than that planned because
the number of child workers turned out to be much lower than previously informed by
local NGOs, some owners or managers refused to participate, and village parents were off
to the rice field daily. Two reasons were plausible for the low number of child workers.
First, the number of children coming to work in brick factories fluctuated in accordance to
the labour needed (mostly when bricks are loaded in and unloaded out of kilns) and the
availability of children (although children were on school vacation, parents and their
children living in villages had gone to the rice field every day during the data collection
period). Second, some brick factory owners/managers were aware of the survey in
advance. Thus, they might warn child workers not to come to work. This apparently has
impact on any attempt to estimate the number of child workers in brick factories. Despite
some difficulties, the field work went successfully.
69
in Brick Factories
Causes and Consequences
Contact:
A Research Study for Campaign of Combating the Worst
Forms of Child Labour in Cambodia August 2007
LICADHO:
N° 16 Street 99 12305 Phnom Penh Cambodia
Tel & Fax: 023 360 965 Tel: 023 982 669, 023 364 901 P.O. Box: 499
E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.licadho.org
WORLD VISION
N° 20 Street 71 SK Tonle Basac Khan Chamcarmorn 12301
Phnom Penh Cambodia Tel: 023 216 052 ext. 224
Fax: 023 216 220 P.O. Box: 479 E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.worldvision.org.kh
By Poch Bunnak, PhD, Director,
Centre for Population Studies at Royal University of Phnom Penh